Life Of The Immortal Snake

Borous looked at the magician curiously.

She wore a dark robe and a big hat that looked rather comical.

Borous also wanted a big funny hat.

Should he ask her if he could have hers?

Worried, Arthur glanced at his friend.

Boro's expression told him, his friend was up to no good, as usual.

Boro's amber eyes shone like they always did when he was about to do something stupid.

And the way he fidgeted with the sleeve of his brown, worn-out coat, only strengthened Arthur's suspicion.

Normally, he didn't care if his friend did something strange or stupid, but one had to be careful when magicians were around.

They were a strange bunch, generally revered and respected, but feared by many.

Arthur shivered slightly, thinking about the stories he had been told in late nights around the fire.

He shot the magician who had just climbed onto the wooden podium a thoughtful glance.

All of them could be summarised into a short guideline. One that he had to abide by if he wanted to live a long and peaceful life.

'Don't mess with a magician.'

Arthur was not about to break that self-imposed rule.

He turned back to his friend and...

'Crap.'

Boro had already vanished into thin air.

Not great.

Quickly he scanned the area, searching for Boro before he could-

"Hey there, Miss Magician. You have a nice hat. May I borrow it?"

'May Sol have mercy on us.' Arthur thought.

Somehow, Boro had already climbed onto the podium as well.

He was standing before the magician while chewing on one of his sleeves.

Mira was having a bad day.

She was stuck in this tiny village in the middle of nowhere, far away from the comforts of her cozy room at the academy and any form of plumbing.

She had traveled through the barren boondocks of the Sol Empire for weeks now, without finding any meaningful talent.

It wasn't a surprise but she was still vexed by the lack of mental stimulation.

All she saw all day, every day, were fields, forests, and underdeveloped tiny villages with even less interesting inhabitants.

As she was mulling over what she should make for dinner, a short boy with raven hair and gleaming amber eyes climbed onto the podium.

His brown coat was littered with crumbs and little pieces of candy and was in desperate need of a washing.

Clumsily the boy face-palmed onto the podium, then got up like nothing happened and closed the distance between them to an uncomfortable degree.

Then the boy opened his mouth, nearly making Mira faint from his sugary breath.

He said something but she could barely pay it any attention.

Something about her hat?

Mira paused, shocked by his audacity.

She really hated children, they could all go die for all she cared.

'What the hell is this brat up to?'

She coughed uncomfortably.

"Erm, no. You may not have my hat. It is rather precious to me." She said in the friendliest tone she could muster at the moment.

Naturally, it still sounded like she was spewing venom.

However, Boro paid it no heed, instead, he focused on more pressing matters.

His snacks had run out!

Absentmindedly, he started chewing on his sleeve. It didn't taste as good, but it would have to make do.

Mira was furious.

Was this vermin seriously eating his coat?!

She channeled a sliver of mana into the amulet hidden under her robe, activating its communication enchantment.

Under Boro's scrutinizing gaze, her eyes took on a slight hue of color.

"Professor can I please just erase this little pest? I think if this continues I'll have a stroke! Think about it, he's about to damage an asset of the empire, so I have justification!"

"Absolutely not, Mira." He sighed.

This student of his was a real piece of work.

"But-" Mira started, but was disrupted by Borous.

"Excuse me, Lady with the fancy hat, but why are your eyes glowing?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.

This feeling felt familiar, yet he couldn't quite grasp it.

Mira froze.

Had this child just noticed her mana?

Impossible!

"Hey kid, can you see this?" She asked, her voice filled with excitement.

Could it be? Had she hit the jackpot?

She extended her hand and channeled her mana through the air, drawing an illusory shape.

"Why are you giving me the middle finger? My Nana says that isn't very nice." Boro said, confusion evident in his voice.

Not paying his question any mind, Mira channeled her mana once more, contacting the professor.

"What is it, Mira? I swear, if this is something meaningless again, I'll have you expelled."

"No nothing like that, Prof, I think we just struck gold! Well metaphorically. I just tested this child and he can see my mana!"

Surely the academy would reward her generously for discovering this unpolished gemstone!

One had to note that normally one had to first become a magician to properly sense the flow of mana, much less actually see it.

Yet Borous was a special case, since his eyes were specifically meant to perceive mana.

Everything had a price, however, and Boro's special eyes were no exception.

Boro was... utterly and entirely colorblind.

Mira rejoiced, coming to this god forsaken place had paid off after all.

Not that Mira had the privilege of choice in the matter.

All students had to participate in some sort of social labour free of charge every year and this was simply the lesser evil of all the choices that had been presented to her.

"That is quite curious indeed. Mana perception talent at that level is rather rare." The professor mumbled.

After a short pause, he continued. "He has potential. Try to get to know him better and report back to me. Oh, and if you slack off in the written summary I will personally see to dock your pay."

"Will do!" Mira replied cheerfully, yet internally she was grumbling.

'Curse you, written summaries. Go burn in hell!'

Arthur, meanwhile, was dumbfounded.

'What the hell just happened?!'

One moment, it looked as if his friend was about to be incinerated, and in the next the magician was practically licking his boots!

Standing at the base of the wooden podium, Arthur debated whether he should simply watch the about-to-unfold chaos or try to save his friend before he got into more trouble.

Of course, the moment those thoughts came to his mind it was already too late.

Boro had raised his hand, as if about to 'edjucate' the magician on her lacking manners with a light slap on the forehead.

This was a problem in more than one way.

First and foremost, one didn't walk around face-slapping magicians, regardless of age and status.

That was one of the fastest ways to the grave Arthur could think of.

The other problem was Boro's monstrous strength! Arthur was pretty sure he had seen him rip out an entire tree by accident once.

Arthur didn't know where that terrifying strength came from, but he knew better than to go around asking too many questions.

His father had lectured him many times.

"Knowledge is power, but some knowledge is better off left undiscovered." It was a sentence he had heard many times growing up.

They lived in a world in which even hearing the name of the wrong god could have terrible consequences.

Knowledge could be a boon just as much as it could be a curse.

Dismissing his thoughts, Arthur shook his head, focusing on the impending catastrophe.

Quickly he pulled out a small piece of sap candy, raised his arm, and threw it straight at Boro.

Meanwhile, Mira nearly gasped!

Was this child in front of her actually channeling mana right now?

It was crude and weak, yet there was an undeniable shimmer in his eyes, and she could clearly feel small tendrils of mana radiating from the kid's hand!

This was incredible, she had to tell the professor about this! The kid barely looked 10 years old and yet he was already beginning to channel?

This kind of talent was very rare to see this deep in the remote territories of the Sol Empire, and in a peasant child at that!

Arthur frowned, he just didn't know what was happening anymore.

He had missed his mark by a mile, not even getting close to hitting his friend.

And yet the situation had turned even more incomprehensible to him.

Had the magician just... let out a happy giggle?

Weren't magicians supposed to be dignified powerful scholars? And how did this one seem to lack all of those qualities?!

While Arthur was losing his mind as the world he knew kept falling apart, Mira was already celebrating her unexpected golden ticket.

'I take it all back, I love children! Wait no, that doesn't sound right.'

She didn't care either way, she only cared about the reward she would earn from the academy for this.

But first, she would have to reel in her catch before celebrating.

"What's your name, little gem-uh, I mean blank check, I mean aspiring magician?" Mira asked, barely managing to banish the thoughts of endless equity from her mind.

"My name is Borous, but you may call me Boro Misses weird Lady," Boro replied, raising one of his eyebrows. A habit he had gained by studying Arthur's facial expressions.

Mira got on one knee, lowering herself to Boro's level. "Alright then Boro, this Lady's name is Mira. Can you tell me where your parents are? We have to tell them about your aptitude for magic, I'm sure they will be very happy!"

A sudden gale swept across the podium.

"Actually I'm not so sure of that yet." Elaine had appeared on the stage, standing between Mira and Borous.

"Witch." Mira's voice was oozing with contempt, staring at Elaine with cold dark eyes. "Have you tainted this boy with your sorcery witch? You should know it is strictly forbidden to teach magic without a license issued by the Empire."

"What makes you assume I don't possess a license? But no, I haven't taught him a single thing, I am just as surprised as you are by his talent," Elaine replied coldly.

"Good, this kind of talent demands he visit the academy, I have already set everything in motion to get him a complete scholarship," Mira said, waving her hand dismissively as if trying to make Elaine disappear.

"I was planning to send him to the academy either way, but he isn't old enough to attend it yet." Elaine answered coldly.

"Nana can I really go to the academy? That sounds exciting!" Boro chimed in, entirely unbothered by the hateful glances the 2 women kept throwing at each other.

"You can Boro, but you are too young to go, wait a few more years then you can go." Elaine said, her gaze growing ever so slightly softer.

"That's actually not true." Mira said. "If the child is talented enough, age doesn't matter! Especially if they show signs of beginning to channel. On the contrary, it is actually beneficial for him to attend the academy as soon as possible so he can learn how to properly wield mana. Otherwise he might bring harm to himself and those around him!"

"Can I please go Nana?" Boro asked with puppy-like eyes. "I really want to go."

Sighing, Elaine gave in, how could she resist those wide amber eyes? And the magician wasn't lying after all, it was dangerous if Boro didn't learn to wield his mana.

"We'll talk about it later Boro, let's get back and eat supper first, then we can talk about the academy." She threw the magician one last hateful glance, then grabbed Boro by the collar and dashed away, utilising the wind with her sorcery.

After that, the testing ceremony continued as planned, Arthur as well as a few other kids proved to be talented enough to take the entrance exam but none of them could compare to Boro.

Arthur was around 3 years older than Boro, so he could take the exam this year but the others would have to wait a year or two.

In the evening, Mira was sitting outside the village's inn, a silvery chalice full of wine in her hand.

Looking at the setting sun on the horizon, she sighed.

'I really hope that brat comes to the academy. I want to reap my rewards for doing this stupid task!'