The Company Commander has returned

Chapter 13 - Another Mage

"Are you talking to me?"

The question escaped before I could think.

This wasn't a situation I had encountered in my previous life, and I couldn't hide my confusion.

"Did I do something wrong?"

I followed the head instructor, asking all sorts of questions.

"Or is it because I did something well?"

The head instructor, as always, gave no answers.

"I guess it's not because I did well."

I couldn't recall any recent actions that might have pleased the instructor.

If that was the case, it must have been because I did something wrong.

"Burning the flowers—that was Kinjo. Thorns can be considered weapons too, right? He was experimenting to see if they would catch fire, and..."

"That... was that punk's doing?"

"Yes... that's correct."

"Tell him there's a meeting scheduled for him tomorrow. If I see him today, I might just leave him half dead him."

At last, the head instructor spoke.

Blindly following along without any explanation was starting to get frustrating.

It's better to get scolded sooner rather than later, so I asked again.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Be quiet."

"If you could just tell me what I did wrong..."

Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the instructor's office.

This time, he opened the door unusually slowly.

The room wasn't empty.

A man, lounging lazily, stood up to greet the instructor.

"Ah, you're here."

He was dressed in a white military uniform, with a golden lion emblem on the left side of his chest.

The 7th and 8th Divisions and the trainees wore navy blue.

The Special Forces wore black.

White belonged to the Knights.

And the golden lion, not the silver one, signified the elite of the Knights—the Royal Knights.

"Did I... do something so bad that I need to be disciplined by the Knights instead of the instructor?"

"You haven't done anything wrong, Mago. Cut that shit out."

For the first time, the head instructor cracked a joke.

I saluted the knight, putting extra effort into making it sharp.

The man casually returned the salute.

"Take a seat."

The instructor spoke, sitting down before the knight, which struck me as odd.

Isn't he of lower rank?

I wanted to ask but held my tongue.

"He was my former teacher," the knight explained, as if reading my thoughts, before sitting down after the instructor.

I was the last to take my seat.

"Let's begin with introductions."

The instructor gestured toward the man.

"As you know, he's a knight. Not just any knight, but part of the elite—the Royal Knights."

The man introduced himself, but his name was long and complicated, and I couldn't catch it properly.

It felt awkward to ask him to repeat it, so I let it slide.

I did, however, catch his final words.

"Cadet Mago."

At least I understood that he already knew my name.

"The thing is, I thought this guy could help train you, Mago, so I called him here."

"What kind of training?"

"What you mentioned in your report."

"Ah..."

"Exactly. Cadet Mago, I'm a mage—a detection-type mage. I think I could be of help to you. Don't you agree?"

"Ah, yes! I look forward to your guidance!"

I stood and bowed deeply.

Meeting a mentor just when I needed one—I couldn't have asked for better timing.

I expressed my gratitude to the man.

"Haha, you're far more respectful now than when we first met. You must really want to learn."

The man laughed heartily.

"Yes, I do. And thank you, Instructor, as well."

"Cadet Mago, what does it feel like when you read mana?"

Faced with the serious question, I stopped myself just before blurting out, "a lake."

I gave it some thought.

The only one who specifically knew about the lake was Kinjo.

Just one person.

No one else knew yet.

It wasn't that I was deliberately hiding it, but neither did I particularly want to share it.

The lake's limitations could easily turn into vulnerabilities.

"What kind of sensation? I'm not sure."

I chose to feign ignorance.

"Does a certain image come to mind?"

"An image?"

"For me, it's a desert. I've also heard of things like swaying bamboo in a bamboo forest or the subtle vibrations of the earth. The images vary widely."

He revealed his own without hesitation.

Even the elite Imperial Knights could speak this freely, so why should it matter?

"Oh, for me, it's a lake."

"Magic users always talk in ways I can't follow."

The instructor shook his head.

"Instructor, I am not a magic user."

"If you can sense mana, you're a magic user. And a very skilled one at that."

The man countered firmly.

"No, I'm not…!"

"You are a magic user."

"Why do you keep calling me a magic user? I don't like it."

"Because you have talent."

"I prefer holding a sword. It's something I couldn't do before…"

"Why would a magic user pick up a sword?"

"Enough, both of you."

The instructor pinched his forehead, mediating.

"There's been a misunderstanding. Mago has talent in magic, but his physical skills surpass even that. I guess I forgot to mention that."

I felt awkward hearing the instructor praise me for the first time in my life.

"What? You're saying he's more talented physically, even though he can sense mana? Not many magic users can do that."

"It just means he's exceptionally blessed."

"Impressive…"

Feeling embarrassed, I turned my head away.

"Since he's interested in learning more about detection magic, we can start with that, right?"

The man deftly shifted the topic.

"Yes, that's correct."

"For me, it's a desert—more specifically, a sandstorm. Mana feels like grains of sand and dust scattered by the wind."

"That sounds rather chaotic."

"Compared to a lake, I suppose it is. A lake evokes the sense of calm, doesn't it?"

"Does it have limitations?"

"I figured you'd ask that. Duration, range, and frequency—there are limits to all of them."

"Oh…"

"Don't look so openly disappointed."

"My apologies. What are the limits, then?"

"The duration is about two hours and forty minutes."

That alone widened my eyes.

"The range is around 300 meters. You can use it about four times a day."

Its coverage and frequency exceeded my expectations.

"What's the key to improving it?"

"You have to get used to it."

The man immediately cut in.

It was as if he expected that question.

"Get used to it?"

"The images we visualize when we focus—deserts, lakes—those are real things."

"Yes."

"You just have to go to those environments, experience them, and familiarize yourself with them. That will make it easier to read mana. The easier it becomes, the more you grow. For you, Mago, training at a lake would be the path to improvement."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Good thing it's a lake and not a snowy field. At least I can find a lake nearby…"

"But it'll take a while. It always takes time to grow accustomed to something."

"I don't have much time. I have two months, to be exact."

"Two months might be enough. However, you can't just go anywhere. Like you said, 'nearby' won't cut it. The Empire has specific places where mana naturally gathers—mana focal points, as they're called. You'll need to find a lake in one of those areas."

"Where would that be?"

"Well…"

The man leaned in closer.

"If you join the knights, I'll tell you."

"What are you saying…?"

"Join the knights, Mago. I hear you're the top of your class."

"I plan to join the Special Ops Unit. Why would you say that to me?"

"It's not you I trust—it's the instructor. I've never seen him go this far. Writing letters to me, praising your talents right in front of you. I've never seen it before."

"I have no intention of being reassigned to the rear."

At that, the man frowned.

"Mago, being in the rear isn't what we do. We protect His Majesty, the Emperor."

His tone turned stern and commanding.

It seemd he's faced situations where his pride was hurt by the same words multiple times.

"Protecting is harder than killing."

"If you put it that way, so be it."

He leaned back into his chair, shifting his weight.

"I believe I've shown enough courtesy to the instructor by providing the information I have, Trainee Mago. The rest is up to you."

His tone grew much firmer than before.

It was as if he'd completely shut himself off.

I suppressed the thought that this narrow-minded attitude was the reason I disliked the knighthood.

"In a situation where every 0.1% of strength matters, does it really matter whether it's the knights or the special forces?"

"To reassure His Majesty, that 0.1% must reside within the knights."

"Wherever I go, I remain a chess piece for His Majesty. Are you suggesting His Majesty only favors the knights?"

"That's not it. It's simply better to have you closer."

"Closer... Most of the citizens can't even see His Majesty, let alone be near him. Are you saying that the majority, who are not near His Majesty, are constantly exposed to danger? All because His Majesty is too busy filling the space near him?"

"Trainee Mago, what are you—!"

"Tell them to focus on frontline supplies instead of such nonsense."

"Mago!"

The instructor stepped in, shouting.

"If that's how you feel, then I don't think there's anything more to discuss. Trainee Mago, find the mana convergence point yourself. Instructor, I'll take my leave now."

The man saluted the instructor and turned his back.

I kept my head lowered.

"Trainee Mago. Aren't you going to salute your superior?"

Muttering curses internally, I stood up.

Straightening my posture, I saluted with even greater force than before.

A final display of exaggerated respect, silently urging him to leave.

The man exited, and the door closed.

"The Imperial Knights know nothing. They don't understand how many soldiers are dying on the frontlines. All they do is spew absurdity."

I tried to justify myself.

"And what makes you so knowledgeable that you'd say something like that?"

"I know best! I've learned it the hard way!"

"What could you possibly know, holed up in the training grounds fiddling with wooden swords?"

There was so much I wanted to say, but for now, I couldn't.

***

"Mago. Still not sleeping?"

Kinjo's voice came from the top bunk.

"Not yet."

"What did they call you in for earlier?"

"For getting caught setting the flowerbed on fire. You have an interview tomorrow."

"...Was it you who snitched?"

"No."

"It was you, wasn't it...! Who else could it have been!"

The bed shook as he suddenly sat up.

I kicked the bunk above.

"Stay still."

"Seriously, what's wrong with you today? Are you really the same guy who aced the written test?"

"Yeah, I got a perfect score. I became the top trainee so I could join the special forces. Why does it matter where I go? Damn it, the more this drags on, the more I need to rank up."

In the military, it was simple.

If you were frustrated, climb higher and take control of those below.

That was it.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed since my brief exchange with Kinjo.

Sleep didn't come easily.

The rain poured heavily.

The translucent window glowed faintly blue before the sound of thunder followed moments later.

Deciding that some fresh air might help, I stepped outside.

The midnight rain brought a coolness to the air.

I stood behind the railing, staring blankly at the rain.

Extending my right hand, I let the raindrops touch my fingers.

Plop. Plop.

The droplets pressed against my fingertips and flowed away.

Each drop created ripples.

Like a stone cast into the middle of a lake.

Blue waves spread out.

And out...

"Huh?"

Like a flickering, faulty light, my vision alternated between black and white, over and over again.