I love magic!
Ever since I was little, I've thought of nothing more than the sublime art of the supernatural.
Isn't it amazing? With a prayer, trees could be felled or fires lit.
With a sleight of hand, storms could appear and rain could fall from the sky.
Just the light in the dark or the beautiful melodies of enchanting spells were enough to make my skin tremble as I radiated excitement of wonder and awe.
Every time I saw the wondrous use of magic, only one thought ran through my mind.
"I can't wait... I can't wait!!!"
After all, once a child turned ten, they would be taken to the Magic Tower to undergo "Awakening."
Once my turn came, I too would go through this process and become a Magic User. But my ambition wouldn't stop there. I would continue climbing until I became a fully qualified "Wizard" and grow to become a Grand Wizard in
The Kingdom.
Yes, I am Louis Griffith. I shall accomplish great feats in the wizarding world!
Of course, I knew that mere words and dreams would not take me to my goal, so I resolved to do everything in my power to ensure my perfect future.
Most children who were not yet awake preferred to spend their time playing and silly games. But no, not me. I was different from the sillies around me.
Ever since I was little, I knew the truth: I was special. No one loved magic more than I did, so no one could reach the heights I could.
I spent most of my time in the public library, reading about various magical theories and spell structures.
The small village where I grew up was a rural town that relied mostly on agriculture and food processing, and books were scarce. However, as was the policy of the Kingdom, public libraries were provided in every town, no matter how small.
Being the only person my age who frequented the library, and one of the few who used it
Inside the village, everyone knew I was already a genius.
"This is just the beginning. Soon, the whole kingdom... no, the whole world will know the name of Louis Griffith, the Great Wizard of the Eastern Kingdom," I often said aloud.
Of course, most children couldn't connect with me because I preferred spending my time reading books or watching the young magic users in my village perform spells, rather than playing silly games with them.
As a result, I had no friends. Not one!
But who cared? After all, I had a love and passion for magic!
Years passed, and before I knew it, I was 10 years old. It was finally time for me to leave my little village and make the journey to the kingdom's capital to undergo the "Awakening."
As I was about to leave, my villagers shouted words of encouragement such as, "Show them who's boss, Louis!"
Of course I would. It was only natural
Yes! Even a child from around here in the region can be a 'wizard,' you know? Let those noble scoundrels know it!"
Heh, that's the 'great wizard' to you. I wouldn't have settled for anything less.
Good luck, Louis. You've been a fool, but I hope you at least wake up on a high note!"
What the hell? Why shouldn't I? As if I had any other choice.
The probability of failure was nil.
And so, amid the cheers of the villagers who saw me off, I ventured out of the village with my parents.
Yes, my loving mother and my stern father. Both of them supported me in my adventure and my quest for magic, which allowed me to overlook the fact that neither of them possessed magic.
In fact, I felt rather bad for them.
It took a few days until we arrived in the capital of the Eastern Kingdom, Zurich. During those moments, I spent the time reading two books I had borrowed from the library.
I stared at the pages, boredom evident on my face. I.
It had been a few years since I had exhausted all the materials in our public library.
I had applied to Capital for more shares, however, since I was the only one who wanted them, my plea was largely ignored.
Just wait. Once I'm fully awake, no one will be able to ignore me!
I imagined how the event would unfold, repeating it in my head several times.
What level of talent would I possess? What base mana degree would I have?
My body was throbbing with excitement because I simply couldn't wait for the moment to arrive.
And finally, it did.
I underwent several procedures. They forced me to place my hand on a special kind of crystal ball, and I was placed inside a circle with special markings inside. A lock of my hair was taken for analysis, and so on.
Of course, I had expected all of this. After all, I had read a lot about them, and even asked some people in
The villagers who went through the same process.
Finally, we're done with the tests; all that's left are the results.
My parents sat beside me in the Analyst's room while we all waited for him to finish compiling my score.
The Magic Analyst compiled the results and wrote some things down on a piece of paper. I stared intently at him as he assessed everything I'd done so far with a straight face.
What's going on here? Isn't this the part where he's going to cheer and proclaim what a wonderful talent I possess? Or is he still baffled? Great Analyst... you're baffled, aren't you? My talent is so shocking that you simply can't find the words, are you? My mind was agitated as I toyed with my thoughts.
Heh heh, I knew it. There's no way it can be
"I'm very sorry, but it seems your son, Louis Griffith, is incompetent."
The words kept ringing in my head as I absorbed each syllable, but they made no sense to me.
"Eh...?"