[V3C11] Sly Master and Disciple, With a Hint of Stupid Disciple

Wearing a formal suit instead of the robe of the Seven Sages, the Barrier Mage Louis Miller scanned the wine bottles lined up on the table, sighing with a wistful expression.

The Starseer Witch, Mary Harvey, loved wine. The finest wines were always served at her parties.

Louis had joined the party looking forward to it, but today, he couldn’t afford to empty the wine bottles to his heart’s content.

As he sipped the exquisite wine little by little, he heard a voice from behind.

“Hey, brat. You’re surprisingly well-behaved today.”

Recognizing the familiar voice, Louis turned around, plastering a friendly smile on his face.

Standing behind Louis and puffing on a pipe was an elderly man with a sinister look and thick eyebrows, the Smoke Mage Gideon Rutherford, Louis’s master.

“Oh, if it isn’t Rutherford-sensei. It’s been a while… I’ve always been well-behaved, haven’t I?”

As Louis greeted him with an impeccable smile, Rutherford frowned and let out a grunt.

“Back in our student days, you were a brat who brought alcohol into the dorm without any shame. To think you would have the gall to spout such nonsense now.”

“Please spare me the old stories. Aquamancy Mage-dono is present today.”

In response to Louis’s words, Rutherford chuckled maliciously. “Haha, I see.”

The Aquamancy Mage, Bertrand Verde, was a former member of the Seven Sages and the father of Rosalie, Louis’s wife.

In other words, Louis had to behave himself today, because his father-in-law was present in the same venue.

“The uncontrollable brat has become quite docile after starting a family.”

“Could you try saying that in front of Aquamancy Mage-dono? If possible, emphasize how much I care about my family.”

“Don’t get carried away, brat.”

Rutherford scowled at Louis after taking another puff from his pipe. He was still as foul-mouthed as ever.

Since Louis had no intention of reminiscing with his ill-tempered master, he decided to ask what had been on his mind.

“Carla isn’t here at today’s party, is she?”

Rutherford’s thick eyebrows twitched.

Louis was referring to the Starspear Witch, Carla Maxwell. She was another of Rutherford’s disciples, making her Louis’s senior disciple.

Carla was a former member of the Seven Sages and one of the few people Louis recognized as a true genius. Her talent rivaled that of the Silent Witch, Monica Everett.

Once Louis mentioned his senior disciple, Rutherford scratched his short white hair with the pipe still in his mouth.

Louis knew that this was the old man’s habit when choosing his words carefully.

“…She hates social gatherings. You should know that.”

“Well, yes. However, today’s event is hosted by her good friend, Starseer Witch-dono. Moreover, half of the attendees are members of the Mage Association. I thought it wouldn’t be strange for her to attend.”

“…Who knows. I haven’t heard anything.”

Rutherford was by no means someone bad at lying.

If the sly old man wanted to, he could lie to Louis without any change in expression. Louis couldn’t count the number of times he had been deceived during his student days.

The usually straightforward Rutherford was being deliberately vague in his words, because he was undecided about whether to explain the circumstances to Louis.

Presumably, he was under some kind of gag order to avoid speaking about the Starspear Witch, Carla Maxwell.

“…You never know what might happen. Make sure to raise your disciple properly. Has he obtained the Novice Mage qualification yet?” asked Rutherford as he puffed on his pipe again. He was clearly trying to steer the conversation away.

Concluding that further probing would be futile, Louis replied, “Oh Master, you’re concerned about Glenn?”

“That brat was also a troublemaker in a different sense than you. Has the young rascal who blew up my lab become somewhat useful?”

“Yes, I suppose. Somehow, he managed to obtain the Novice Mage qualification. When he failed the written exam twice, I thought it was hopeless… Apparently, a friend helped him pass.”

Rutherford muttered, “I see,” and tilted his head, looking up at the large glass window.

“So now that your disciple can use magic without supervision, he’s frolicking around with such energy.”

“…Pardon?”

Rutherford jerked his chin, indicating the window.

Louis adjusted his slightly askew monocle and looked out the window. There was the figure of Glenn Dudley, his foolish disciple carrying someone on his back, flying around energetically…!

(What happened to the dragon subjugation, you idiotic disciple!)

＊　＊　＊

After fleeing the room to escape from Raul and the others, Ray sought a location where he could be alone. He circled around to the back of the mansion and entered the deserted garden.

The sky, which had been clear until a moment ago, was now covered with thick clouds, as if reflecting Ray’s own heart.

The wind was chilling and damp. Perhaps it was about to snow.

Ray crouched near a random tree and gently removed his formal gloves.

Since his body bore numerous curses, this revealed the curse patterns floating above his skin like tattoos. These patterns responded to Ray’s emotions, undulating and squirming as if they were living creatures.

Even now, the patterns hidden under his gloves were beginning to twist, turning denser and thicker.

Judging by the discomfort he felt, the patterns on the left half of his face were already starting to protrude.

“No, no, settle down, settle down…”

Magecraft was activated by logically constructing a magical formula and applying the necessary mana, but curses were different. Some curses could be triggered by chanting, while others could be inadvertently activated even against the caster’s will.

In addition, curses gained additional power when infused with strong and passionate emotions——this was the fundamental difference between magecraft and curses.

Therefore, Ray, who housed curses throughout his body, sometimes experienced curse outbreaks when his emotions flared up.

“…Settle down, settle down, settle down!”

Ray held his head down, and his mismatched purple hair inevitably caught his eye.

Ray had always hated the color of his hair. It being dyed perfectly purple meant that he was a perfect shaman.

But Ray’s mother was not a perfect shaman. Her bangs were purple, while the rest of her hair was a beautiful golden color.

It wasn’t just Ray’s mother; most of the Albright family was like that. Completely purple hair was a trait only shared by Ray, his grandmother Adeline, and the First Abyss Shaman.

However, Ray’s father, who was not a shaman, had normal brown hair. He was an ordinary person, without any connection to either magic or curses.

Ray’s mother fell in love with him, but apparently, his father had someone else in mind.

His mother despaired over this fact, but refused to abandon her feelings… Fueled by love and jealousy, she let her emotions run wild, accidentally cursing the man she loved.

Curses are magical arts intended to afflict someone with suffering.

Perhaps a proper shaman would have caused suffering by manipulating and controlling their target like a puppet. However, his mother turned her loved one into a puppet, not to torment him, but to fulfill her own twisted desires.

——No, what have I done? Manipulating him with curses… Ray, I am despicable human trash, unfit to be a shaman. I have no right to teach you curses. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…

His mother constantly lamented her actions. However, the power of the curse she placed on his father was too strong, and proved difficult to break.

Eventually, his mother became mentally ill and, along with his puppet father, decided to leave the main house and live in a separate residence.

…Leaving the young Ray behind in the main house.

Right before she left, his mother implored Ray to remember one thing:

——We shamans must never utter the words ‘I love you’. Make sure to remember that, Ray.

Half a year later, Ray was informed that both his parents had died.

In an attempt to lift the curse on his father, his mother engaged in a ritual beyond her capabilities. As a result, she lost control of a curse, leading to the deaths of both her and his father. A pitiful and foolish outcome.

When learning of his parents’ demise, the young Ray shuddered at the terror of love.

(Still, I want to be loved by someone…)

Initiating love oneself was terrifying. After all, if a powerful shaman like Ray were to genuinely love someone, he would surely end up cursing that person just like his mother did. He would be tearing their life apart.

Unable to say “I love you” yourself but wanting to hear it from someone else was a convenient narrative. Even without Raul pointing it out, Ray understood this.

(Still, I want to hear it. I want to hear someone say, ‘I love you, Ray,’ with genuine feelings.)

Not even Ray’s mother, who cursed another with her words of love, nor his puppetized father ever said, “I love you,” to Ray.

People outside the Albright family were generally repulsed by shamans, so they never said “I love you” either.


“…I want to be loved. I want to be loved naturally. I want to hear someone say, ‘I love you.’ It’s okay even if it’s not heartfelt… No, that’s a lie. I want them to say it with all their heart. Say ‘I love you, Ray’ with all your heart.”

“Then why don’t you ask that to me, your fiancé, instead of running away?”

A quiet voice came from behind.

Ray, still holding his head, slowly turned around.

Standing there was a tall woman with short blonde hair. Ray’s fiancé——Frieda Blanquet.

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