CHAPTER 2

How to Live as a Hero in a Magical World (2)

Hundreds of magical artifacts poured out from the rear guard.

As time passed, thick beads of sweat multiplied across the forehead of the head of House Valentin. No matter how powerful a mage was, their mana could never be infinite.

Meanwhile, the resources of the Noble Alliance only continued to grow.

This was clearly a war of attrition.

The eldest and second sons, who had evacuated the household servants, moved up behind their father.

“Father!”

“We’ll take care of the rear!”

There was no need for additional communication between the brothers, whose minds were connected through [Mind Link].

―Crack!

When the eldest summoned vines to bind the enemy’s feet—

―Shing!

The second sliced through their necks with blades of wind.

Perfect coordination.

It was the result of a bond forged through blood, something no alliance temporarily formed for the sake of profit could ever hope to imitate.

And yet, there were still too many enemies.

Far too many.

―Boom! Kuaaaang!

The head of the family shouted as though he were coughing up blood.

“Riana! Hurry and take Kaian!”

Behind him, the lady of the house, Riana, pale as a sheet, was casting a body-enhancement spell on her youngest son.

“[Enhance, Full Body.]”

―Fwoooooosh…!

Pure white mana continuously flowed from her into her youngest son, Kaian.

Riana carefully examined every inch of Kaian’s body and face.

Perhaps this was the last time she would ever be able to take her child into her eyes.

She engraved the sight of Kaian’s black hair and turquoise eyes—so much like her own—deep into her soul.

Tomorrow, he’ll only be eight years old… He’s still nothing but a child who hasn’t even learned a single spell…

Riana felt as though her heart were being torn apart, but she could not afford to show weakness in front of her child.

She tightly embraced Kaian, who was choking back sobs.

Riana’s body trembled faintly.

Yet when she finally spoke, her voice was astonishingly calm, filled with an almost mystical power.

“[Kaian, listen carefully. You have relatives in the Sylvaris Federation on the eastern continent. Once you enter the eastern forest, the spirits will guide you to a safe place. Until then, do not look back. Do not stop.]”

“No, Mother! Please! I can’t run away by myself!”

―Boom! Boom!

Explosions continued to erupt outside without pause.

The head of the family shouted again.

“We have to hurry!”

Kaian’s stomach churned.

The terror of knowing his family would not be coming with him.

The helplessness of knowing that, even so, there was nothing he could do.

If he had to, he felt as though he could empty the contents of his stomach right then and there.

But Riana’s Word Command, said to be the most powerful in the Empire, seized Kaian’s soul.

“[I beg you, my child. Survive to the very end and live beneath the bright sun. Never let them cover your world in darkness. And… remember that we will always be with you.]”

She knew.

She knew why this noble family had to perish tonight.

They had committed the sin of standing tall and refusing to bow when the world chose to compromise with falsehood.

Their punishment was the destruction of their entire house.

She did not regret the choices they had made.

But her young son, who had not even awakened his mana, did not deserve to bear that burden.

Magic is a power meant for the weakest.

That was the belief of House Valentin.

And even on the brink of death, that belief never wavered.

Riana looked straight into her youngest son’s eyes and spoke.

“[Kaian Velor Valentin. You must survive. So don’t look back. Run!]”

Drawn onward by the power of the Word Command, Kaian ran toward the secret passage beneath the Valentin estate.

―Tat-tat-tat-tat…!

As Riana watched his retreating figure, icy resolve gathered in her eyes.

Every explosion stirred a searing rage and resentment within her.

―Kuaaaang! Boom!

She could feel the life force of her family members slowly fading nearby.

Blood vessels stood out in Riana’s eyes.

“I will leave a scar upon you that you will never… ever forget.”

Gathering the last remnants of her mana, she began chanting an ancient curse.

Terrifyingly white mana rose from her body.

―Fwoooooosh….

She focused her mind, determined not to miss even a single trace of the intruders’ mana outside the estate.

“[Those who set foot upon the border, driven by greed. May the wrath of the earth flow through your blood.]”

She could no longer sense the mana of her first and second sons.

“[Those who lie with you upon the bed shall be tormented by disease until nothing but bones remain. Those who share a cup with you shall find their throats choked with ash and perish.]”

Blood tears dripped from her eyes.

“[Your lifelines shall dry up like morning dew.]”

Yet there was not the slightest tremor in Riana’s voice.

And at last—

“[May this curse endure, unbroken, through every generation.]”

No one heard it.

But in the end, it would become a curse the entire world would come to know.

“Hah… Hah….”

The forest at the border, where Kaian emerged after running through the underground passage of the estate, was pitch-black.

Branches clawed at his tender cheeks, while sharp stones caught his ankles.

His young body and mind quickly reached their limits.

Kaian pleaded with himself.

Stop! Go back to your family, please! You should die there with them…!

But whenever he thought that, Riana’s Word Command tightened its hold upon his soul.

Kaian could not stop.

His lungs throbbed as though they might burst, but he kept running.

He ran and ran without knowing how far remained until the eastern forest.

He simply followed where his body led him.

“Hah… Hah….”

Kaian felt how fragile and insignificant his life was, like a candle flickering in the wind.

Without Riana’s Word Command, he would surely have died already.

Yet amid those helpless thoughts, the moment he had parted from his family kept resurfacing.

The acrid smoke.

The flashes of multicolored mana.

His father’s shouts and his brothers’ screams.

The horrific sound of something being crushed.

And the fate of his family, which he had never been able to confirm with his own eyes…

No matter how far he ran, those horrifying images were not washed away by the wind.

If anything, the more he ran, the clearer they became.

As he pushed through the pitch-black darkness, Kaian questioned himself.

Why? Why did this happen to us?

Only a few hours ago, everything had been peaceful.

Kaian had begged his mother to read him a story about heroes, while Riana had gazed lovingly at her youngest son, who was excited about his upcoming eighth birthday.

The neighbors had been kind.

The wind had been gentle.

The world glittering beneath the sunlight had been nothing but beautiful.

So why had everything suddenly turned into a catastrophe?

Kaian questioned himself again.

Was it because I was weak? If I had been strong enough to protect everyone, would this have been all right? But how?

Like blood that had repeatedly flowed and dried until it clung damply to his entire body, the guilt of knowing that his family had sacrificed themselves to save him clung to his soul, reeking of death.

Fear and helplessness gnawed away at Kaian’s mind, while the despair within his soul deepened with every passing minute.

“Hah… Hah….”

Eventually, Kaian reached a point where he could think of nothing but death.

The thought of dying even brought a faint sense of relief.

No matter how powerful Mother’s Word Command is, she can’t raise the soul of someone who’s already dead.

Yes.

Once he died, everything would become peaceful.

He would be reunited with his family in the merciful embrace of mana.

With that thought, Kaian simply waited for the strength to drain from his body.

Then—

The pursuers who had somehow caught up with him shouted from behind.

“We found him! He’s over there!”

“Kill that brat, and Valentin is finished!”

―Throb!

The instant he heard the name of his family from the enemy’s mouth, a violent pain stabbed through Kaian’s heart.

Finished…? Valentin?

His pupils twisted strangely.

The death he had desperately longed for was right before him, but he could not accept dying like this.

Guilt and the instinct to survive collided, violently churning through Kaian’s mind.

―Thump. Thump. Thump.

And the more they clashed, the more clearly a single emotion boiled through his veins like magma.

It was—

Rage toward those who had trampled upon his world.

Don’t make me laugh. You think I’m going to let you kill me?

Kaian ground his teeth.

The Word Command Riana had carved into him by burning away her own life began to pulse violently.

―[You must survive.]

―[Never let them cover your world in darkness.]

As though molten iron had been poured into his veins, scorching heat surged into Kaian’s heart.

The sound of his own heartbeat thundered abnormally loud in his ears.

―Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

And at last, the dam within Kaian’s soul violently collapsed.

It was the moment his mana awakened.

What is this?

Kaian could now tell how many enemies were behind him without even looking.

He could also tell that they were drawing their [Crimson Night].

That they were taking out [Superior Scrolls].

No—

He could feel it.

Instinct whispered to him.

This is dangerous.

Kaian knew exactly what he needed to do.

He focused on the pulse pounding as though it might burst from his left wrist.

Then, turquoise mana began to surge up his left arm, flickering with power.

―Fwoooooosh….

Instinct whispered again.

Now…!

At that instant, Kaian swung his left arm violently behind him.

At the same time, in a voice so hoarse it was barely recognizable, he spat out a message to the world.

“Burn it all.”

It was far too rough to be an incantation.

And far too sorrowful to be called a curse.

It was Kaian’s first spell.

―Whoooooosh!

The flames that began with that tiny movement spread through the entire forest in an instant.

Those engulfed by the inferno screamed horribly, but their voices soon turned to handfuls of ash along with their bodies.

Kaian did not see it.

Riana’s Word Command was still urging him to survive.

―[Don’t look back. Run!]

Tears flowed endlessly, seeping into the scratches on his cheeks.

His left wrist burned as though it had been seared by fire.

The forest shimmered orange, as though embracing the sun that had risen far too early, and drew Kaian deeper into the darkness.

Thus, on the day of his eighth birthday—

Kaian lost his entire family.

And became the youngest mage in the history of the Empire.

When Kaian regained consciousness, the first thing he sensed was unfamiliar mana.

Someone’s here. Who?

But that question soon scattered as his five senses gradually returned.

The scent of old wood and dry leaves tickled the tip of his nose.

The bed beneath his exhausted body was soft as a pile of feathers, while sunlight pouring through the gap in the window was leisurely warm.

That peacefulness grated against Kaian’s nerves.

Every sense in his body screamed a warning.

Where am I? I was definitely…

Fragments of memory rattled about, struggling to find their proper shape.

The burning estate.

His father’s shouts.

His mother’s trembling body.

The flames that had erupted from his left wrist.

And finally, the sensation of suddenly plunging into darkness…

“Gasp…!”

Kaian shot upright in bed like a spring.

Every muscle in his body screamed, and his ribs throbbed painfully.

His startled lungs contracted as though refusing to breathe.

But he had no time to dwell on the pain.

Riana’s Word Command remained etched into his soul like a burning brand, crying out—

I have to survive!

He instinctively scanned his surroundings.

His vision swam.

Still, Kaian managed to grab the heavy brass candlestick sitting on the bedside table.

Then he pointed it toward the unfamiliar mana he had sensed earlier.

He looked like a tiny animal cornered at the edge of a cliff, baring its teeth in desperation.

“Who are you…?! Come any closer, and I’ll kill you!”

Where Kaian pointed the candlestick, a woman sat with her back to the sunlight, turning the pages of a book.

―Rustle.

Kaian could not see her expression.

The sunlight streaming through the window was simply too bright.

But even from her silhouette alone, it was easy to tell that she was not human.

What…?

Silver hair cascaded all the way down to her waist.

Long, pointed ears rose through the silver waves.

And curled elegantly above her head were…

Goat-like horns?

Huh…? Did I see that wrong?

Perhaps he was hallucinating because he had only just regained consciousness.

Kaian quickly rubbed his eyes and glared at the woman again.

“…”

No matter how many times he looked, there was no mistaking it.

She was an elf with horns.