Chapter 12: Wanted: A Magic Teacher

“Rosie, the oyakodon and gyudon are ready!
Take them to table four!”

“Coming right up!”

“Rosie, take our order over here!”

“I’ll be right there!”

Once again, the Licorice Diner was bustling with neighborhood craftsmen and adventurers who had come for lunch.
I was rushing around nonstop, working the floor and helping with cooking.

As usual, Lowell had been dropped off at the church daycare since morning.
Apparently, they were scheduled to dig up sweet potatoes in the church’s field today, and he’d been excited about it since yesterday.
By now, they were probably all happily digging potatoes together.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, here’s today’s special!”

I set the tray down in front of Jake, a regular who always sat at the same counter seat.

Today’s daily special was chicken nanban set meal.
Simple fried chicken is great too, but chicken nanban coated in sweet vinegar sauce and tartar sauce has a whole different kind of deliciousness.
It goes perfectly with white rice, and the customers at the Licorice Diner love it.

Just as I was about to step away, Jake called out to me.

“Hey, Rosie.
Did you find a magic teacher for little Rowan like you mentioned before?”

“No, unfortunately not yet…”

It had been about a week since I’d asked Jake if he knew anyone who could teach magic.

The reason I was looking for a magic teacher was, of course, for Lowell’s sake.

In his very first magic lesson the other day, Lowell had activated both fire and ice magic.
And with power that was unbelievable for a two-year-old.

To be honest, I thought he was a genius.
No, really.
This wasn’t even parental bias.

Just having two attributes was already extremely rare, and on top of that, his mana was extraordinarily strong.

I knew Lowell was insanely cute, but I never imagined he’d be a magic prodigy too.
Too much genius.
Too cute.

This kid could become an amazing mage someday!
Let’s train him right away!

…That was when I realized something.
This was dangerous.

If he tried to warm water, it instantly boiled.
If he tried to cool it, it froze solid in the blink of an eye.

Luckily nothing had happened that day, but it wouldn’t have been strange if he’d gotten burned or frostbitten.

Practicing magic without proper precautions would almost certainly lead to an accident.
Lowell himself could get hurt, or he might injure other people or damage things.

First, he needed training to learn how to control his enormous mana.
And for that, the best option would be to study properly under a real mage and learn the basics.
But I, with my pitiful amount of mana and mostly self-taught magic, clearly wasn’t qualified to be Lowell’s teacher.

Jake was a veteran adventurer with some knowledge of magic.

That was why, when he came by the Licorice Diner last week, I’d asked him if he knew anyone suitable to teach Lowell magic.
Unfortunately, he’d said he didn’t know anyone appropriate.

“Yeah, I figured.
Even if I can use a bit of magic myself, I’m nowhere near good enough to teach someone.
Guess the only option is to talk to the Barrow young master.”

“You’re probably right…”

As Jake said, Philip Barrow—the Barrow young master—would be the best person to consult.

Children born into noble families usually receive magic training from private tutors from a young age.
The Barrow baronial family would definitely have connections to tutors who could teach magic.

But—

“I haven’t had a chance to see the young master even once since then…”

Up until recently, he’d been visiting the Licorice Diner once or twice a week.
But for the past half month, he hadn’t come by even once.
No surprise visits on days off either.

“Ah.
The magical beasts have been getting more active lately.
Seems the young master’s defense unit has been out guarding the roads every day.”

“I see…”

Magical beasts were ferocious creatures with monstrous forms.

Some were many times larger than humans.
Some had jaws that could crush iron, or venomous claws, or breathed searing flames.
I’d heard there were all kinds.

They usually lived in places thick with miasma, like the so-called ‘Demon Forest,’ but sometimes they appeared near human settlements, ravaging farmland and attacking people and livestock.

That was why the Royal Army, local defense units, and adventurers were tasked with subjugating magical beasts.

I’d been told about the threat of magical beasts since childhood, so I knew they were dangerous.
But to be honest, it still didn’t quite feel real to me.

Magical beasts almost never appeared in the royal capital, and especially not near the heavily guarded royal palace.

Fortunately, I hadn’t encountered any on my way to Diud, and since settling in town, I hadn’t once gone outside the city walls.

At most, I’d seen a bird-type magical beast flying in the distance near the forest.
I’d never seen one up close.

So even though I knew, intellectually, that magical beasts were dangerous, I didn’t really feel it firsthand.

The only reason I could live so peacefully like this was thanks to the army, the defense units, and the adventurers who fought magical beasts every day.

…Hmm.
Thinking about it that way, maybe we should set up a service day once a month to show our appreciation.
Like a free mug of ale, or an extra piece of fried chicken.
It might even help attract new customers.
Yeah, I should suggest it to Dan and Hannah later.

“Well, if the magical beasts are this active, it’s basically guaranteed that this year’s a bad one.”

Jake said that while munching on his chicken nanban.

I tilted my head slightly at the unfamiliar term.

“A bad one?”