“……”
“……”
Father and Mother also looked down, not saying a word.
It was extremely awkward…
“Ne, nee……”
Suddenly, I heard a voice and looked over to see my sister, Toko, peeking into the living room.
“Toko, go upstairs. We need to talk with your brother.”
“U, un…”
Mother said coldly, and Toko retreated. Then, the sound of her hurrying up the stairs could be heard.
“Well, there’s nothing left to talk about really. I’m not going to have my arm cut off.”
I started the conversation because I didn’t like the heavy silence.
“The principal said that, but there are practitioners who can perform higher level removal spells than me.”
“Can you remove it?”
“There’s a possibility.”
Even a 1% chance is still a possibility.
“Ne, do you think I can learn the removal spell?”
“Honest opinion?”
Father asks for confirmation.
“Go ahead. There’s no need for restraint here.”
At this point, I don’t care anymore. I don’t need his kindness.
“Tsukasa, you have the best potential as a wizard, but your talent is zero.”
…….
“What do you mean?”
“The amount of magic you possess is great. Not just Toko or us, even among the Nagase family or the La Folle family—yours is the greatest. It’s a natural gift.”
Yeah…
Actually, I’ve met relatives from both my father’s and mother’s side, and I’ve never seen anyone with more magic than me.
“But?”
“You can’t control it. You’re very bad at releasing the magic stored within you.”
“I know that.”
That’s why I can’t use fire magic.
“Honestly, I can’t say for sure… Since you have tremendous magic, there is a great possibility that you could perform an incredible removal spell, but mastering it would be very difficult.”
Yeah, well…
“Haa… Father, could you try calling Grandfather?”
“I’ve already tried many times, but I can’t get through. His whereabouts are unknown. In fact, Astral is apparently searching for him on a wanted list, but they haven’t been able to find any trace.”
“What’s he even thinking? What do you think, Mother? Should I go to Magic Academy?”
This time, I ask for Mother’s opinion.
“To begin with, I am in favor of attending the Magic Academy. Actually, I’ve considered this before.”
“Really?”
“At the Magic Academy, with La Folle’s connections, you can enter without an exam. Besides, the academy accepts people of all ages, not just you and Toko as students, but working adults as well. So it won’t attract much attention if you start in the middle of the year.”
Wow, sounds good. Normally, people would think, “Why are you transferring schools in May?”
“You should have mentioned it earlier. April was slow.”
“I didn’t because you showed no interest in becoming a mage.”
Ah, that’s true.
“So do you think that going to the Magic Academy will help you learn the removal spell?”
When I ask, she looks down and shakes her head.
“Can’t do it?”
“You are my child. My darling child. But, unfortunately, you’re also clumsy… The removal spell requires knowledge, experience, and wit.”
That’s disappointing…
“What should we do then?”
“The La Folle family says they will take you in.”
Huh?
“Their Grandfather and Grandmother? What does that mean?”
“They don’t want you to die. Even if you lose an arm, they say they’ll manage somehow.”
What?
“Are they going to support me?”
In the end, am I going to be a NEET?
“More or less… um…”
Mother seems reluctant to say it.
“Mother, let me speak. Tsukasa, come here.”
Father gets up and walks into the study adjoining the living room, so I follow.
“What? Can’t Mother say it?”
“Well, it’s difficult for a young lady to say it, but the La Folle family wants your blood.”
Blood?
“Are they vampires or something?”
Or maybe mosquitoes.
“That’s not what I mean. It’s about lineage. The La Folle family is after your talent. Though the name La Folle has been passed down through Toko’s line, from a bloodline perspective, you have superior qualities simply because of your immense magical power. In short, your children have a higher chance of being exceptional wizards compared to Toko’s kids.”
Well, I think there’s also a higher chance of them being dumb.
“So I should go there?”
“Well, it’s not just that. Their Grandfather and Grandmother have been worried about you since you failed the high school entrance exams.”
Sorry ’bout that.
“What happens if I go there?”
“Most likely, they’ll find a removal specialist for you. They’re probably already looking for one… From their perspective, losing an arm is better than dying. Even if you lose an arm, they will still support and marry you off.”
Marriage?
“To whom?”
“Referring back to the bloodline discussion. Your children have a good chance of being exceptional wizards. So, they want you to marry a young lady from an equally prestigious family.”
Marriage…
I’m only 16 years old!
“Is this young lady from a family like the La Folle, an old family of wizards?”
“Probably. I think someone as nice as Mother will come.”
Hearing that, the appeal immediately vanished. In what world would a man be happy to hear that the person they’re going to marry should be like his mom?
“I’ll pass! Besides, their grandmother is really strict. She got super mad when I farted during dinner once”.
The La Folle are famous, so they’re very particular about etiquette and manners.
By the way, Grandfather doesn’t talk much but always gives me pocket money, which is great, though it’s all in Euros…
“I wouldn’t do such things here either. Mother and Toko are glaring at you, you know?”
“Whatever. Anyway, I don’t want to go to their house. I prefer staying in Japan and have no intention of getting married.”
“I see… Let’s go back to the living room then.”
After Father said that and headed back to the living room, I followed.
“Mother, Tsukasa doesn’t seem to want to go to the other family’s place.”
Once we settle back in our seats, Father announces the conclusion.
“Well, it’s understandable.”
Mother nodded as if she had known this all along.
“I’m still going to that Magic Academy and will give it a try there.”
“Alright. I’ll inform Grandmother accordingly.”
“Thanks! By the way, how do you go to the Magic Academy?”
What exactly is this place anyway?
Is it in Astral?
“I’ll explain after we finalize the procedures. Before that, Tsukasa, you’re not to tell anyone about the bracelet.”
“Toko?”
“Not even Toko. Your reason for going to the Magic Academy is that you have nothing to do, not because of other reasons.”
Mother is so kind…
I feel like crying.
“Understood.”
“Haa… Go upstairs.”
“Alright, I’m going to take a bath. Haven’t had one for two days.”
As I said that, Mother gave me an expression of complete disdain that I don’t deserve as a son.
I almost cried.
Thank you very much for reading.
If you found this work ‘interesting!’ or are ‘curious about the continuation!,’ bookmarking it or rating it from ‘☆☆☆☆☆’ to ‘★★★★★’ would really encourage me to keep writing.
Thank you so much!
