I can’t remember how I got home after the ceremony.
I vaguely remember sitting in the carriage in silence among father and brother, Fray.
F-Rank. The lowest of all ranks.
The priest will only proclaim the magical trait you are MOST compatible with.
Igni stared at the “Status” he received for the hundredth time.
<<<<>>>>
Igni Talcoyz
Age: 12
[EARTH] : none
[WATER] : none
[FIRE] : [F]
[WIND] : none
[LIGHT] : none
[DARK] : none
<<<<>>>>
The “Status” with the “none” engraved literally meant that using that line of magic is impossible. In short, Igni could ONLY use [FIRE], and worst of all, his compatibility to it was F-Rank.
Two months passed since the nightmare of the Compatibility Ritual. This is about the time when those with C-Rank would start learning the first steps of using their new found powers.
And Igni began using [FIREBALL], the very first, elementary [FIRE] spell, and even then, he had difficulty casting it.
Igni: “I wonder how Rose is doing…”
I haven’t seen her since the Compatibility Ritual ended. That’s because her knights who guard her refused him entry.
Well, even if I did see her, what could I possibly say to her?
She became a “Saint” that the entire country celebrated at her arrival.
And then there’s me, who’s magical talent is scraping the absolute bottom of the barrel.
Igni’s father has been working furiously to make sure no one knew about his son’s F-Rank, but it was only a matter of time until the news got around.
These past 2 months, Igni has been held captive in his own room.
The servants would bring him 3 meals a day and 1 Wizard textbook per week. Besides that, he was forbidden from leaving his room.
Even his secret escape pathways he used up until now were now all blocked by his father.
Igni: “I guess Father always knew and just let it pass…”
Igni's father was strict, but there was a grain of love in his words that only his father could muster, but now, Igni would never hear those words ever again, and his heart broke. For the first time, Igni wept.
Servant: “Sir Igni, the master is calling for you.”
Igni: “.....okay.”
Igni, with a deathly, hollowed out expression, weakly stood up.
It’s been 2 months since he spoke to his father.
What is Igni supposed to say when he sees him?
His body did not feel like his as he walked to his father’s chambers. Every step, against his will, just kept happening, and he did not know how or why.
And before he knew it, he stood before the chamber doors.
The knob of the door clicked loudly as the servant opened the door.
Father: “...You’re here, Igni.”
Igni: “...yes.”
His father looked pale, fatigued, and worn out compared to 2 months ago.
Father: “I’ll give you two options.”
Igni: “...two?”
Igni: (Is he not going to say anything?)
Why he would not see Igni for 2 months.
Why he did not allow anything except meals and magic study.
Father: “One. I’ll permit you to live inside this mansion, but you will remain here for the rest of your life.”
Igni: "……............"
Father: “Two. You will abandon the Talcoyz name and have nothing to do with this family going forward.”
Igni: (….that means...)
Igni’s eyes widened, but no words came out of his mouth from the news.
Servant: “Master! Please! That is too harsh!”
Father: “A noble must live as a noble does.”
Servant: “But your son is only 12 years old!”
Father: “I cannot permit the Talcoyz name to be disgraced any further.”
I almost fainted as the strength in my body left me.
My sight is colored red, but I’m still at a loss for words.
Father: “The heir to the family is Fray.”
I NEED to say SOMETHING, but nothing is coming out.
JUST ANYTHING...ANYTHING AT ALL…..!!
Igni: “F-...Father. No, Sir Master of the Talcoyz House.”
I need to consider that even being given an option was merciful for that man.
At my words, the servant stood wide-eyed.
Servant: “Master Igni…”
I silence the servant with a hand gesture.
I’m no longer a master in this house.
Igni: “I will depart from this family.”
...consider that the fact that you’re being left alive is merciful enough!
Father: “I see. If that is your choice, leave this premise immediately.”
I turned my back on father and left the room.
Fray: “It’s been a while, brother.”
Igni: “...Fray.”
His little brother of the same age.
If it was him, what would he say?
Would he leave me with any kind words?
Fray: “Hahaha, Serves you right, brother!”
Igni: “Fray…?”
His voice was different, like it was coming from a stranger. I tilted my head in confusion.
Fray: “Didn’t you see this coming? You never studied. All you thought about was escaping the mansion to go on one of your stupid little adventures. Weren’t you embarrassed doing that as the heir to this family? And this whole time, I was the one who studied and seriously trained while you were out there playing. God saw this and judged us accordingly.”
Igni: “...Fray, is that what you thought this whole time?”
Fray: “Address me as Sir Fray, you lowly commoner!”
BAM! Igni’s body fell hard against the floor.
Igni: “S-so heavy…”
Fray: “Gravity magic. How is it? While you were practicing your petty [FIREBALL], I’ve been learning spells like this.”
Igni: “….Fray!!!”
Fray: “Why don’t you lick my shoes, <IG•NI>.”
Fray’s boot was placed in front of Igni’s face.
Igni: “...damn...it…”
He has no choice but to do as Fray asked.
Igni stuck his tongue out to lick Fray’s shoe.
Fray: “HAHAHAHA! Igni, you are the worst! I almost feel sorry for you!”
The magic lifted and vanished.
Igni immediately got up and ran as soon as his brother lowered his guard.
No, he let Igni run away.
It was Fray’s way of flaunting how much control he had over the situation.
And Igni ran out of the mansion.
It’s been two months being smothered inside, but the fresh air did nothing to lift his spirit.
Igni: “...dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit…!!!”
The sky was cloudy.
The humidity clung to his skin, and wrapped around his body choking him.
Igni: “GODDAMNIT!!!!”
It wasn’t supposed to be like this!
IT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS!!!
Tears fell from Igni’s face as he kept running down the road.
<<<<>>>>
A year passed since that day.
“Hey, wake up, ditch cleaner.”
Igni: “...huh?”
The storage room of a tavern.
In that room, under a ragged, tattered blanket, Igni woke up to the voice of the tavern keeper.
“Got a job for you. Get up.”
Igni: “...yessir”
Igni got up and left the tattered blanket behind inside the storage room and went outside.
The sun was not out, and the sky was dark with a chill in the air.
“Alright, same job as always. Clean out the ditches like you usually do, but before you go, bring in the food supplies to the kitchen.”
Igni: “YESSIR!”
No home, no family, no magical abilities, no chance of becoming an adventurer, and even lesser chance of becoming a Wizard.
The Tavern Keeper was the only one willing to take him in. Well, it wasn’t for nothing. He got a cheap errand boy to do all the dirty work.
Igni earns 30 bronze coins per day working as the ditch cleaner.
Out of his pay, 15 is taken for the lodging, and 10 for 3 meals. His meals consisted of moldy bread and a soup that was mostly water.
But a proper lodging would cost 60 bronze per night, and meals would cost 20 each.
...ditch cleaners were for anyone with no magical talent and no other skills.
That’s why it’s only a step above slavery.
That’s because to wash anything, a [WATER] wizard would only have to cast magic, and the job would be done.
A job that can be easily done with a single spell.
But this is a job that would be a <WA•STE> for even one spell, so Igni had a way to earn his living.
Igni followed the Tavern Keeper’s orders, and set off to clean out the ditches.
“Alright! Today, we will be cleaning the sewers below the city! It’ll be dark inside, but make sure you clean thoroughly!”
At the entrance of the sewers, Igni and several other men in the same boat stood there with no life in their eyes.
“If you get it, now go you piece of ****!!”
With the supervisor’s yell, the men dragged their feet carrying dented buckets and entered the sewers.
Ditch Cleaners periodically clean the areas where waste water flows. If too much waste stays in one place, monsters will start nesting there. Before that happens, the Ditch Cleaners take care of it.
But we’re talking about Slimes in this case, the weakest of all monsters. So really, there isn’t a problem.
There isn’t a real problem, but it slightly <BO•THERS> the city folks.
Igni has a job because of their annoyance.
He has to be thankful about that.
Igni lets out a huge sigh.
Igni is probably in the dirtiest of spots, shoveling waste into his beaten up bucket.
Igni: “How long am I going to keep doing this?”
Igni mutters the words at no one, but because there’s no one around to hear him, the words echo more loudly inside of him.
Igni mindlessly shovels more waste into his bucket, when suddenly, light fills the sewers. The light is coming from upstream.
Igni: “What the…”
Wait, did monsters appear?!
If that’s the case, Igni is neck deep in trouble. Even now, all he can cast is [FIREBALL].
But with Igni’s magic, he can’t even <KI•LL> one measly slime…!
But looking closely, the light is following the flow of the stream and slowly approaching Igni.
It’s following the flow of the stream?
Then… maybe it’s not a monster?
Fearfully and carefully, Igni approached the light and felt his knees give out when he saw what it was.
Igni: “....G-GRANDPA?!?!”
Yes, what came down from upstream and followed the flow to here was the “Extreme” of [LIGHT].
—-it was Lucas himself.
Igni: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?!”
Igni could not contain himself.
A thin light wrapped around Lucas keeping him from getting dirtied by the sewage around him.
Lucas: “What? Igni, is that you?”
Igni: “Yeah it’s me! Grandpa, what the heck are you doing here out of all places?!”
Lucas has a habit of wandering.
It was one additional reason why he was excommunicated from the family. He was THAT prone to constantly wander.
While Lucas still carried the Talcoyz name, Igni heard that it was typical for Lucas to disappear for years at a time.
So in Igni’s heart, he was hoping to run into his grandfather somewhere in this world.
And his wish finally came true.
Igni almost cried on the spot.
His grandfather might be able to help him get out of this situation!
He might be able to turnaround this hopeless, nightmare of a future!
Whether Lucas noticed his grandson’s fervent gaze, no one could tell, as he spoke nonchalantly.
Lucas: “I was found cheating again.”
Igni: “No, seriously. What are you doing with your life?”
Unchanged, his grandfather was his grandfather to the end.
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