6

And I realized something… kind of a big deal. When I turn fifteen, I'm supposed to attend the Academy—essentially a school for magic.

But I'm a count, you know? Do I really need to go to school? 

Apparently, if you haven't graduated from the Academy, people look down on you. Can't have that. I love looking down on others, but I hate being the one looked down upon.

I haven't studied magic at all until now. My worthless parents claimed it was a waste of time and never bothered to teach me. But if I show up to the Academy like this, I'll be a laughingstock. That's the one thing I absolutely want to avoid—even if it kills me.

So I told Lampard to bring me the best mage in the territory and force them to teach me. I even dragged someone away from the royal court—this magical genius with a position as a palace sorcerer. Gotta love money and power: wave some gold around, and you can buy the best. Truly the privilege of a noble.

"Fuhahahaha!" 

Yes, the world runs on money. Being a noble is the best—everything can be solved with money and authority.

I made that mage move into my mansion full-time, so he'd devote every waking hour to educating me. Sometimes, I'd barge into his room when he was asleep and command, "Teach me!" 

He freaked out once, thinking it was some kind of midnight seduction. As if I'd stoop to something so juvenile. I'm just a kid anyway—I'm not even interested in that sort of thing. What a fool.

Ha! So yes, that's me living the dream: a private tutor who's the best in the land, working for me alone. My magic has improved by leaps and bounds, and apparently I have some talent. 

Money, power, talent… I'm unstoppable!

◇　◇　◇

Charyx was assigned to educate the child prodigy, Arc Noyadarma. She felt deeply indebted to Arc.

Her father had been falsely framed by the previous Count Garm for bribery and other wrongdoing. He'd been forced to stand trial, which was basically rigged from the start. At the moment the final verdict was set to be pronounced, Count Garm died, and Arc inherited the title. 

Right away, Arc cleared her father's name and restored him to his former position as a servant of the count's house. 

At the time, Charyx was still attending the Magic Academy, but with her father branded a criminal, she nearly got expelled. Thanks to Arc, she managed to continue her studies and eventually graduate. She then took a position as a court magician—her lifelong dream.

But to her, even serving as a royal magician paled in comparison to repaying Arc. She left her palace post and gladly began teaching Arc magic.

Arc was eager to learn—hungry for knowledge. He pestered Charyx day and night with questions. She was once woken from sleep so suddenly that she genuinely thought he was coming for a late-night tryst.

"As if I'd try that on the likes of you, you fool." 

When he said that, she was… honestly a bit hurt. 

Still, she admired his passion for learning. After landing a job as a royal magician, Charyx had been feeling a touch arrogant, but seeing Arc's dedication forced her to realize she still had a lot to learn herself. She renewed her own studies and began pursuing a new magical theory she'd been dreaming up for a while. 

In the end, she devised an entirely new theory of magic. This would later cause significant deviations from the original storyline—but that's another tale. 

Normally, a noble wouldn't ask a commoner for instruction. Many aristocrats hold deep-seated prejudices against the lower classes. But Arc didn't care. Charyx never forgot what Arc told her:

"I don't care if you're a commoner or a noble. I just want to learn from the best. And you're the top graduate of the Academy, Charyx New-Theory, aren't you? So I'm learning from you."

How many nobles would say that? 

Even as an Academy top grad, she'd often faced discrimination for being a commoner. Hearing Arc plainly recognize her skills moved her to tears, and she was delighted to serve under him.

Of course, in his heart, Arc was thinking, *"This is the height of luxury—monopolizing the best talent for myself!"* Charyx naturally had no idea that was his true feeling. Whether not knowing this was good or bad luck for her is anyone's guess.

◇　◇　◇

Charyx in the original storyline is a female character who supports the protagonists. Ordinarily, she never becomes a court magician but is forced to become an adventurer after getting expelled from the Academy due to her father's wrongful conviction. She eventually crosses paths with the main characters (who are fighting Arc) and assists them.

But in this world, Arc's intervention changed that fate. The biggest difference is that Charyx devised her own magical theory while serving as a court mage, thus rewriting the future. By learning that theory, Arc altered the story all the more.

Unknowingly, Arc had changed both Charyx's destiny and his own.