The Master of Language - T.M.L Chapter 3 (Part 2):

I looked at Count Furst with a blank stare.

“Weren’t you going to teach me, Count?”

The Count tilted his head.

“Me?”

“Aren’t you a mage too, Count?”

The Count looked at me, puzzled.

“Me, a mage?”

“……”

“……”

Setting aside the fact that Count Furst is not a mage.

He’s handing me over.

Did I misjudge him?

As I struggled to hide my turmoil, the elf stood up with a lightness uncharacteristic of humans.

She then spoke to the Count.

“May I test if he has an aptitude for magic?”

“Go ahead.”

As soon as those words were said, my head hit the floor.

Thud!

“Kuk.”

An overwhelming pressure crushed my entire body.

All I could see was the floor in front of me.

The elf whispered in my ear.

“If you’re a mage, you’ll be able to break through this pressure. If not, you’ll die.”

My vision quickly darkened, and my ears began to muffle.

My body grew colder and colder.

It chilled me to the bone.

How long had passed?

At some point, I could no longer feel the chilling coldness.

I couldn’t tell if I had fallen, was underwater, or just floating in the air.

Am I going to die like this?

Or am I already dead?

Will I be stuck like this forever?

An hour?

A day?

A year?

I want to get out of here.

I want to escape this place.

Then, in one corner of the world that was filled with complete darkness, a crimson light began to shine brightly.

It seemed as if someone had inflicted a wound on the world.

It’s beautiful.

The crimson ligh gradually formed a long line, starting to split the world in two.

A gigantic, blood-red sun appeared in the void between the split world.

It was so enormous that it swallowed the entire world.

Flash.

It’s not a sun.

It’s an eye.

And it was watching me.

From within that eye, an unforgettable memory from my childhood surfaced.

My mother on the execution stand.

The blade falling down towards her neck.

The crimson light intensified.

My heart started to churn.

A desire for revenge that I had buried deep down from the grim reality surged up from inside.

It spread like blood throughout my entire body, giving me strength.

Finally, my immobile body began to move.

I shouted loudly.

“Get up!”

Huff. Huff.

When I regained consciousness, I was standing in the room.

Everyone was staring at me blankly.

Why are they all looking at me like that?

The memory before my vision returned was hazy like a fog.

Did I do something?

What just happened?

Then the elf shifted her gaze from me.

“He has the sufficient aptitude, Governor Krom.”

Governor Krom stared at the elf with a blank look.

“Y-Yes.”

“Since you’ve prepared such a precious gift, I cannot refuse your request. Just tell me when, and I will use my magic for you.”

Governor Krome’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“R-Really?”

She said nothing more and walked over to Count Furst.

She looked him in the eye and spoke softly.

“I’ll borrow him from breakfast to dinner every day. How about that?”

“You may keep him as long as his safety is guaranteed. However, return him to me once he reaches adulthood.”

“Then we’ll do that. But I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“Why don’t you just give him away? He’s just a slave after all.”

Count Furst was silent for a moment. He glanced at me before speaking.

“He’s too valuable to let go. I won’t sell him for any price.”

“Hmm. I see.”

She approached me.

Kneeling slightly, she met my eyes.

Beautiful.

Even all the artwork I had seen upon entering the building couldn’t compare to this elf.

“If I take you as my disciple, I’ll have to see your face often, so I was worried… But you’re quite handsome for a human.”

I responded nonchalantly.

“My father had quite a knack for wooing women. That’s why my mother was quite a beauty. Fortunately, I take after my mother.”

The elf’s expression showed surprise.

It wasn’t a particularly shocking statement.

She stroked my head. I felt an electric sensation from the tip of my head.

“Hmm. A fine item.”

“Just an item.”

She looked at Count Furst and said,

“Can I take him starting today?”

The Count nodded.

“Yes.”

“Oh? You’re surprisingly agreeable. What if he loses his loyalty to you while under my care?”

Count Furst looked down at me with an indifferent gaze.

No, it wasn’t indifferent.

There was something firm in his eyes.

“I don’t know about loyalty, but he won’t forget that I saved his life. He knows his debts.”

Absolutely right.

I strictly adhere to my principles of gratitude and resentment.

It is in my nature, my emotions, and my reason to never forget favors. There will never be a time in my life when I don’t uphold these principles.

The elf asked,

“What about the slave beside him?”

Sensing an opportunity, I spoke up:

“He’s not very smart, but he’s strong, Count. If trained well, he could be an excellent guard. You said this place is almost lawless, right?”

The Count smiled slightly.

He understood my intentions immediately.

“Alright, I’ll keep Oshalo with me. You can meet him anytime you visit.”

Giving me to the mage can be seen as using me.

But the fact that he insisted on ensuring my safety with the mage and keeping Oshalo, whom I like, shows that he is indeed a good person.

Yes, my judgment was not wrong.

Of course, in hindsight, it seems he intended to give me to the elf from the beginning.

I bowed to him.

“Thank you, Count.”

Count Furst nodded slightly.

Oshalo didn’t speak, but his expression was filled with gratitude.

Seriously.

Even his grateful expression is ugly.

The elf said,

“Then you two can have your conversation. It seems Count Furst has much to say.”

Governor Krom looked troubled but dared not say anything in front of Count Furst.

The elf reached out to me.

“Come with me.”

Even her fingers were white and beautiful.

Count Furst said,

“If you wish, I can send him after he’s cleaned up.”

The elf replied in with slightly excited voice.

“No, I’ll take care of that. Now, give me your hand.”

Her gaze was something I couldn’t resist.

It made me uneasy, but when will I receive this much attention again?

I forced a bright smile.

Then I wiped my hand on my clothes and took her hand.

Dangun

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