Chapter 13 _ Fragments of Wisdom, or the Choice of an Ordinary Man
The moment I stepped into the Royal Library,
I was overwhelmed by its solemn atmosphere.
Some sought to decipher ancient magic.
Others chased after truth itself.
The reasons for being here differed from person to person.
The hall was quiet—
yet beneath that silence, I could feel the intense desire
of those reaching for knowledge.
I decided to begin with magic—
a field that didn’t even exist in my old world,
and one in which my friend happened to be an unrivaled expert.
If I could learn even the most basic spell—
something as simple as Fireball—
it would be a tremendous advantage.
With that thought, I picked up a book on fire magic.
Its title made me blink.
“Your First Offensive Spell.”
Judging by the illustrations,
it looked like something meant for elementary school children.
I took a seat and began reading.
――――――――――
…No good.
I didn’t understand a thing.
It seemed that before shaping thoughts into magic,
one had to draw mana from within the body.
The problem was—I had no sense of mana at all.
As I buried my head in my hands,
a squirrel carrying a stack of books passed by.
It was Frey.
I spoke quietly, mindful of the others around us.
“…Frey… Frey-chan… got a moment?”
“Hm? A question, is it?”
“I want to learn Fireball, but… what exactly is mana?”
“…You—no. Come with me.”
She turned and began walking.
We headed away from the entrance and soon reached an open courtyard.
“This will do,” she said.
“Sorry for dragging you out here. So—mana?”
“Mana is the foundation of all things,” Frey began.
“Not only within the human body, but within everything in this world.”
She continued calmly.
“Even a single pillar of this library contains mana.
And of course—you do as well.”
“T-then does that mean I can use magic too?”
“Certainly.
However… you are far too late.”
“…Too late as in… beyond saving?”
“One could put it that way.”
She nodded.
“Most people learn to draw out mana as children,
scribbling pictures in the dirt as they play.”
“Parents observe both aptitude and temperament,
then guide their children toward suitable paths.”
“But… in rare cases, very rare ones,
talent blooms later in life.”
She paused.
“You know Iris, do you not?
She is one such case.”
“Iris!? Her?”
“Indeed.
She has lived a harsh life.”
Frey’s expression darkened slightly.
“Though she had no visible talent at first,
her current mana reserves are extraordinary.”
“An ordinary person would have given up in despair.
She persisted through sheer conviction
and is on the verge of becoming a master-class mage.”
“The effort she endured was… immense.”
She hesitated.
“…However—no. Never mind.”
“Hey, now you’ve got me curious. Tell me.”
“Do you know who is targeted first in battle?” she asked.
“Huh? Wouldn’t it be the front-line knights?”
“Not exactly. At least not at the start.”
She continued.
“Mages control attack, healing, buffs, debuffs—
they influence both allies and enemies.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve played RPGs.”
“…‘RPG’?”
She tilted her head, then shrugged.
“Very well.”
“You understand enough, which makes this easier.”
“In essence, a mage is the keystone of battle.”
She fixed me with a serious gaze.
“This is the most important part, so listen carefully.”
“O-okay.”
“A truly skilled mage is also a skilled strategist.”
“When to attack. When to heal.
When to analyze the enemy and apply buffs or debuffs.”
“One could say they hold victory itself in their hands.”
“…That’s true.
In strategy games, I always targeted enemy mages first.”
Frey sighed softly.
“From what I can tell, Iris lacks that strategic vision.”
“…She does?”
“This is not a matter of mana quantity.
She lacks the aptitude required of a mage.”
“…I see…”
I hesitated, then asked.
“How do you know all this?”
“You know I maintain the barrier that protects this city,” she replied.
“That barrier also possesses clairvoyance.”
“It allows me to know the movements of everyone within it—
even their thoughts.”
“D-does that mean you knew what I was thinking!?”
“Fufufu,” she chuckled.
“Indeed.”
She leaned closer, grinning.
“You regretted it, did you not?
Being invited by a rather pretty woman in your first steam bath.”
“‘If only I had the money,’ you thought.”
“H-Hey! Not here!”
“Oh? And what about Iris, hm?”
“Enough already!”
I quickly turned away and went to search for another book.
“I shall take a bit longer,” Frey said lazily.
“Keep honing yourself.”
Left alone, I thought carefully about my role.
I was weak.
I couldn’t serve as a front-line shield.
And after hearing all that,
the path of a mage seemed just as unforgiving.
A thief… a rogue…
those required years of technical mastery.
So what could I do?
As I pondered, one book caught my eye.
“The Complete Guide to Weapons.”
I took it down and flipped through its pages—
and in that moment, an answer surfaced.
“…A crossbow.”
A weapon often overlooked in RPGs.
Yet written there was something that felt like hope.
Unlike a bow, it didn’t demand exceptional strength.
Anyone could pull the trigger and deliver consistent power.
With enough focus to aim,
even someone as weak as me could become useful.
(This is it.
With enough practice… I might actually manage.)
I couldn’t become a hero on the front lines.
But observing the battlefield from behind,
calmly choosing my shots—
that was closer to the “strategist” Frey had described.
I spent the rest of the day reading everything I could
about crossbows and their use in combat.
“Time to go,” Frey’s voice called.
I looked up.
The setting sun streamed through the window,
dyeing the book in my hands a deep crimson.
The path of magic was closed to me.
But on that day,
for the first time,
I found a weapon with which I could fight
in this other world.
