Meanwhile 21- Its Embarrassing 1

"Hey Jake, what did you come back to this town?"

My good friend James asked me.

James and I grew up in the town of Trent, a small village on the southern plains of the Kale Empire.

I grew up a farmer while James grew up a hunter.

10 years ago, the Kale Empire sent out representatives across its lands to find companions for their recently summoned Hero.

Turns out, I have a ridiculous innate mana capacity and natural talent. After paying a sizable sum to parents, I was taken to the capital for training.

Last year, I returned home to manage my families farm.

"... James, you still asking about this?"

"I really want to know. They said you were a genius you know. Can't see why you'd ever come back to this small town."

"There are a lot of things you don't know."

"Like what?"

Sigh. He's not giving up today. I guess I can't put this off forever.

"... It's because I don't fit in with them. I'm not like those city folk."

My dark past, maybe its fine to tell James.

"Sigh. James, when you think of magic, what do you think?"

"I dunno. Fireballs?"

"Right. Fireballs. When you think of chants, what do you think?"

"Chants? Maybe... something like "Fire, gather at my hand, shoot out a Ball of ever-burning destruction, Fireball!"

"... That is... correct. That is the standard Fireball chant."

"Hahaha, maybe I'd make a good mage!"

"A better one than me. Guess what my chant is?"

"Uhhh, you tell me Jake"

James really has no idea huh.

"I learned the Fireball spell when I was 8 years. What would an eight year old farmboy chant?"

"...uhh, maybe "Fireball!" ?"

"I wish. My chant was "Catch on fire mother**ker, Fireball!"

James looks at me with a completely shocked expression before he starts laughing hysterically.

This continued for 10 minutes.

After he recovered, he smiled and said.

"Well, you always ha a mouth back then. But, I guess thats a little embaressing, but its not like one little stroy would ruin someone with your talent."

"..."

"... eh, Jake, you..."

"... Once a mage finalizes their chant, until they reach the state of "chantless perfection" with that magic, they have to stick with it. My talent was so high... that every time I mage a chant and tried to use a spell, it would work and finalize the chant."

I turned to look into the sky, tears forming in my eyes.

"Do you want to know what my other chants were?"

Firewall. "Get the f**k away and burn!"

Fireblast. "Die Die Die!"

Firestorm. "All of you catch on fire!"

Iceball. "Freeze!"

Icewall. "Get the f**k away and catch a cold!"

Iceblast. "... Freeze!" The pause is important.

Icestorm. " Everyone freeze!"

"... and so on and so on. The worst of it though, the reason why I don't even go near the traders when they come to town, was the chants I made with holy magic.

Do you understand now?"

"...I'm sorry Jake..."

"I am too."