Chapter 4: Fluvia …(title at end)

In another location within the Capital of Valed, nearer to the Royal Castle, is the Academy, and within was the second most important person in the country.

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“Forgive me, but I am requesting it of Lord Minister.”

My subordinates are normally confident workers, as those who work in the upper echelons of the government should be, but today there is one who is near groveling in my office.

To think a grown government official, who has the pride of working amongst the top of society would be reduced to this.

I can’t help but sigh as I lean my head on my hands.

“And? Today’s task is a Magic Potential Measurement, is it not?”

Just what is there to worry about? It’s a task that you can do with your eyes closed.

As long as you have someone else reading the result.

“Th-that is… It’s the Dellarose’s young lady…”

Inspector Gorlen trails off.

Ah.

So that’s it.

I am getting quite tired of the nobles and their attachment to the magic potential their heirs have.

Delighted beyond reason if the potential is high, depressed beyond reason if the potential is low.

Can they seriously not understand that magic potential is simply that?

‘Po-ten-tial’.

Laughing and crying over such a foolish thing.

Having an heir with a great magic potential will bring prosperity to your territory?

As if such a convenient situation could exist.

Without hard work and simply resting on the laurels of your potential, who can expect great things of you?

It would be impossible for me to reach my position of Minister of Magic without hard work and hard training!

Although it’s hardly convincing, I suppose, when I had one of the greatest magic potentials within 50 years.

If we keep basing our idea of ‘talent’ on ‘magic potential’, I fear there will be a day when the talented are easily overlooked.

In that day, I wonder if it will mark the beginning of the decline of Valed.

“I understand. Their precious daughter might have lost a great amount of her magic potential, so you’re asking me to come in order to deter the wrath of the Earl. I had heard he was a simple man, though. Even if something happens, I doubt the Lord Earl would do something like ‘off with his head’.”

I replied as such and sigh as I lean back into my chair after subtly insulting that man.

If asked whether I dislike Earl Dellarose, I’d have to say that I don’t.

I just don’t have any use for him, personally.

“That may be so, but…”

Although I think it’s ridiculous, it’s not like I don’t understand Inspector Gorlen’s worries.

The Dellarose House has been stagnating in their contributions to high society, so they’re pinning their misguided expectations on the high magic potential of their daughter.

It wouldn’t be surprising if strong emotions would be involved.

Although I am reluctant, it appears that I will be making a trip to the House of Healing today.

I can’t help but sigh heavily.

Even so, I definitely won’t act unless I’m forced to.

Indeed, I’m going to be going as a supervisor!

Even though I told Inspector Gorlen something so terrible and intimidating, for some reason he looked relieved.

I am rather offended that my subordinates have found something else more terrifying than myself.

—

As expected, the Dellarose girl is located in the luxurious wing of the House of Healing.

That simpleton Earl and his wife are going to be observing, hm?

It may become a big event afterall.

Even though it would be best for the patient if things are done in quiet, but controlling the environment of the sickly isn’t under my jurisdiction.

I make a mental note of it to discuss this matter with the Head Healer.

I’ve gone and cloaked myself to avoid being noticed by anyone who isn’t aware I’m coming today, but just being among the Academy’s Inspectors is enough to pull in deferential treatment, so no one insists I remove it.

Is this really alright… I wonder about the security in this country.

Are we getting a little too lax?

That’s not within my jurisdiction, though.

When we enter the room, there was the Earl and the Lady, as well as their son, anxiously sitting on the sidelines, the Healer and attendant directly in charge of the girl, and of course the Dellarose girl herself.

It seems they’re at least prudent enough to avoid a large crowd of observers.

“Good afternoon, Lord Earl, Lady, Young Lord, Young Lady.”

Mm. Inspector Gorlen’s excellent manners still place him high among the Inspectors.

Despite his falterings earlier, he is still the Inspector we’d prefer to send among the Nobles.

The Earl and Lady merely nod at Gorlen.

I wonder if it’s nerves or pride.

Ah, from the trembling in the Lady’s hands, I suppose it would be nerves.

House Dellarose is in a delicate position, after all, and had been pinning their hopes on their girl, as far as I understand the rumors.

I discretely stand near the wall, placing Gorlen’s assistants between me and the Dellarose family.

Instead of the Head of the House, it was the Dellarose girl who broke the stiff silence with a childish tone.

“Ne, are you going to be measuring my Magic Potential?”

“That’s right, Young Lady Fluvia.”

Inspector Gorlen’s face loosened a bit as he smiled at the young girl.

“Uun… did you measure me before too?”

The girl continues to ask questions as Gorlen and his assistants began to prepare the meterer that was used to measure Magic Potential.

Hmph. It’s unfortunate, but the girl seems to take after her simpleton father.

Even if she’s only 5-years-old, or even if you count for the fact that she was unconscious for a year and had only been raised for 4 years, most noble children are instructed not to make meaningless noises while they’re thinking by then.

They say that simple, foolish children are cute, but I simply can’t see it.

Although I suppose it can’t be helped.

I’d heard that the Dellarose House was rather indulgent rather than disciplinary.

“That’s right. It’s my pleasure to do so again.”

“Ne~, how does this work?”

The Dellarose girl pointed at the meterer.

“Ah, this? It will send a pulse into your body to figure out how much magic you have.”

Gorlen seems rather good at explaining things to children.

I’ll have to re-evaluate his position as Head Inspector, if he could be effective in teaching children.

Of course I don’t mean it poorly.

Inspectors have to do other jobs within the Academy when they’re not preparing or doing Magic Potential Inspections, while the Head Inspector has to deal with a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy.

It would be a waste of Gorlen’s talents if he had something else he was better at doing than paperwork.

Inspector Gorlen’s sweet nature isn’t all that suitable for being Head Inspector, after all.

His hairline has been receding from the stress.

“Eh? Is it going to hurt?”

Hm? The Dellarose girl’s childish tone dropped for a moment as she seriously asks about how it would feel.

“Haha, no, no. You’ll be able to feel it, but it won’t hurt. Here, just put your hand here, on this round part.”

“Ah… un.”

Timidly, the girl placed her hand on the meterer, and the entire room seemed to hold its breath.

The meterer shone a silver color and pulsed once.

Inspector Gorlen’s face turned ashen.

That wasn’t good news after all, was it?

Gorlen recovers himself quickly and, with the admirable presence of a professional, composed himself and said,

“It seems the Lady has dropped from Black-3 to Silver-1.”

It seems that Inspector Gorlen was still shaken, as he used the Academy’s personal jargon of ‘Black’ instead of ‘Sterallium’.

I understand, though. It is a drastic drop indeed.

When she heard it, the Lady Dellarose nearly fainted, startling their boy, ad the Earl himself froze as all the color drained from his face.

With Tiers 1-3 for each Grade, Magic Potential was ranked as:

Copper, Silver, Gold, Mythril(blue), Orichalcum (orange), Stellarium (black), and Adamantite (white).

Strictly speaking, the Dellarose girl had an impressive Stellarium-3 Magic Potential, and it had been reduced to Silver-1, dropping her four full grades and two tiers.

Going from three full Grades and two Tiers above the average person’s Magic Potential (Gold-1) to one full Grade below.

It’s quite the drastic drop.

Although I understand that her vigor was a promising sign that there was nothing wrong, she had been dangerously ill for a year so the outcome shouldn’t have been completely unexpected.

Still, I do have some condolences to the Dellarose House.

From a bourgeoning genius to what is essentially a magic cripple.

There is a deafening silence throughout the room.

It’s best to just accept the truth, but it never seems to be that easy with these nobles.

It would be good if this didn’t change the Earl’s treatment of the girl.

There have been too many rumors of abandoned nobles’ infants when they do not surpass the average, let alone when they fall so far below it.

Although it’s none of my business.

It seems there’s no sign of rampage from the Earl, however, so it’s not a completely dismal prospect.

After all, a man who struggles to force things to go his way even if it’s impossible is more likely to toss aside a ‘failure’.

For the Earl, rather than frustration there is only a deep dismay and shock.

If it transforms into ‘pity’, they will be more likely to keep the girl.

I’ll have to re-evaluate my opinions of the Earl.

He may be simple, but he’s not unreasonable.

Simple is always easier to deal with than unreasonable.

From the heavy silence, where even that somewhat bratty Dellarose boy had become quiet and anxious under, a childish voice spoke.

“…Eh. So, my magic is just reduced?”

Almost mechanically, all eyes turned towards the Dellarose girl.

The first to recover with the House of Healing’s attendant.

“Th-that’s right…your magic is…”

She replied to the girl with an ashen face.

“So then I can still use magic. Then isn’t that alright?”

Hm?

How curious. The girl leaned back with a little sigh and a smile.

Even though everyone else around you is still in shock, you’ve already accepted it?

Is this the adaptability of youth?

Somehow, it feels a little different.

I can’t help but watch the proceedings with a bit of interest.

The simpleton Earl is still struck dumb with shock, but his wife, the Lady, has recovered enough to say, with a grey face,

“F-fluvia dear, it means you’ve lost … a lot…”

“Un, but I didn’t start learning magic yet so it doesn’t feel like it.”

Kukuku.

Ah. I tried to stifle my laugh completely, but it was impossible.

That’s right, she was only 4-years-old when she fell ill.

Since she hadn’t begun learning any magic, this loss of magic potential has absolutely no obvious impact on her!

Should I say she’s simple, or should I say she’s prudent?

“B-but dear, you have only half the magic of normal people … being able to use powerful magics is now…”

Maybe because she’s still shocked, the Lady can’t help but say some negative things.

Like this, I can’t tell who’s the comforter or the one who needs comforting.

“Uuun… I can’t use powerful magics because I don’t have a lot of magic potential? That means that powerful magics need a lot of magic, huh…”

Indeed.

I think that people could improve their Magic Potential if they trained hard, enough to be able to use High Grade Magic, but there hasn’t been anyone who has managed it.

I believe that it’s because people unconsciously limit themselves after finding out their potential, or maybe they just don’t train hard enough.

It’s hard to get other people to accept this theory, though.

After all, only those with an interest with magic pursue the path of magic research, and those with an interest in magic tend to be people who naturally had a high Magic Potential to begin with.

If only we could quantify magic better, perhaps we could prove something, but as things stand we’d have to have someone clearly jump up an entire Grade to find such proof.

Until we find that proof, there will be little interest in research for improving Magic Potential.

Of course, without doing that research there would be no proof.

If I wasn’t the Minister of Magic, perhaps I would be able to invest time in this research purely because of my own interests, but as the Minister of Magic my time is, quite unfortunately, not my own.

Truly a pity.

While I was brooding over this conundrum, the girl tilted her head and said, in her childish, sing-song voice,

“The~n aren’t powerful magics inefficient? Maybe if I study magic enough, I can figure out how to use them even without that much magic!”

Those words hit me as if a bolt from the heavens had struck me through the roof.

What… did that girl just say?

Certainly… research to make it easier to use magic is worthwhile from any angle.

Or actually, all the Academy’s latest studies have been to make even more powerful, more extravagant spells, but we’ve invested so little of our resources into researching the currently existing spells.

“Kukuku… haha… I see, I see. The scales have fallen from my eyes.”

“What! Just who do you think you are?!”

The Earl, who has been quiet from the shock this entire time, seems to have gotten angry at my outburst, but who has time for that?

I step forward with a broad grin, lowering my hood and saying,

“I’ve decided. I will make the Dellarose girl my disciple!”

“”“Lord Minister Tyron Whynchestor?!”””

The Earl and Lady Dellarose who were shocked at recognizing who I was, and my subordinates who were simply shocked, resounded through the room, but I didn’t care.

Looking at the meterer, I can’t help but think that brilliant silver color is a beacon into the future.

Chapter 4: Fluvia Gains a Master