I Was Abandoned Because I Was Told I Had No Talent, but Four Incredibly Strong Yet Clumsy Older Sisters Took Me In. Even the Sword Saint and the Great Sorcerer Insisted on Me Being Their Top Disciple. As a Result of Raising Me in Such an Overprotective Way, My Ultimate Talent Finally Awoke. - Chapter 7

My Magic Talent Is Zero, But…

The next morning, hell doubled.

“Get into stance.”

“Rut-kun♪ We’re starting with the basics of magical power♪”

Master Reizel held out a wooden sword from the right, while Master Meltya held out a thick spellbook from the left.

At the same time.

“Um… which one first…”

Their gazes clashed.

Above my head, cold blue eyes and smiling purple eyes crossed. The air froze. The grass on the ground started to wither a little again.

“…Mornings are for sword work.”

“Afternoons are for magic♪ Can’t be helped♪”

—I learned yesterday that when Meltya says “can’t be helped” with that smile on her face, she’s the scariest.

In the morning it was Master Reizel’s training. I repeated the footwork she taught me the other day. Turn the right foot inward, twist the hips, extend the arm. Over and over. Over and over. The target log already had more than ten marks from wooden swords. Some were close to the X, others missed by a lot. But they were definitely gathering more than a week ago.

Riene sat on a stump a little ways away, watching my training. When our eyes met, she quickly looked away.

“…I’m not watching.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Riene.”

“I said I’m not watching!”

＊

Afternoon.

Master Meltya’s magic lesson began.

On a wide grassy area near the ruined tower, Master Meltya drew a small magic circle on the ground and had me sit in front of it.

“First, we start with sensing magical power♪ Close your eyes. Try to feel if there’s something warm in the middle of your belly.”

I did as she said and closed my eyes.

Middle of my belly. Something warm. —I felt nothing.

Five minutes, ten minutes passed. Nothing happened.

“…Master Meltya. I’m completely without magical power.”

I opened my eyes and said it. Master Meltya tilted her head, still smiling.

“People with absolutely zero magical power can’t pass through the barrier I put up. Did you know that?”

“Huh?”

“Yesterday you passed through my barrier together with Reizel♪ That means there’s a chance you’re not zero. …Hey, let’s try again♪ This time I’ll help you.”

Master took both my hands in hers and closed her eyes.

At that moment, something flowed in from her palms. It felt like a warm breeze passing through my skin.

“Relax♪ Just let my magical power flow through you.”

I did as she said and let go of all tension without thinking.

—Snap.

Blue sparks like firecrackers burst from my fingertips and scattered. It wasn’t my own power. It was my body overreacting to the magical power being poured in from outside.

“Huh?”

“Just now… sparks came out, right?”

Master Meltya’s purple eyes stared hard at my fingertips. Her usual gentle smile had faded just a little. Her face looked serious.

“Rut-kun. One more time.”

Master poured her magical power in again. I relaxed and accepted it.

—This time, nothing happened.

“…Rut-kun, are you really without magical power?”

I couldn’t tell if Master tilting her head was her natural expression or if she had noticed something.

“…Probably the reaction just now was my magical power passing through your body. Your magical pathways are incredibly open. It’s like a huge house with all the doors wide open but nothing inside.”

“…What does that mean?”

“I don’t know♪ But it looks like it’ll be worth teaching you♪”

When Meltya said that happily, Reizel gave a small snort.

“I’m the one teaching. The afternoon magic time is too long. Starting tomorrow, we’ll add sword training in the afternoon too.”

“My, my♪ The basics of magic need repetition♪ If you cut it short, it won’t stick♪”

Sparks flew between the two of them again.

From the shade of a tree a little ways away, Riene called out in a fed-up voice.

“…You two. There’s only one disciple, so what’s this ‘number one disciple’ nonsense?”

Meltya answered with a smile right away.

“It means ‘the most important disciple’♪”

“…Got a problem with that?”

Reizel nodded with a straight face too.

“Big problem. Are you idiots?”

The moment Riene clutched her head, it happened.

Rut, woken up by the noise, poked his head out of the hut. He had apparently been listening to the three of them while rubbing his sleepy eyes.

“I’m happy about it.”

Rut gave a soft, loose smile.

“I’ll do both trainings! So, um, please don’t fight.”

At that carefree smile, Reizel and Meltya both lost their words for a second—then immediately glared sharply at each other.

“Alright. Tomorrow we start sword work before dawn.”

“No♪ We start with magic meditation first♪”

The tug-of-war flared up again.

Riene let out a deep sigh, then thumped a leather water flask down at Rut’s feet. It was a fancy one with the Arcrest marquis family crest carved small on it.

“If you do both, your body won’t last. At least drink water properly.”

“Riene—”

“It’s leftover! I just didn’t want to bother throwing it away!”

With that, Riene hurried off into the darkness.

The water in the flask was cold and tasted good.

＊

Four days later.

On the morning we were leaving for the eastern town.

“Let’s hurry♪ You’re coming too, Rut-kun.”

Master Meltya, packing her bags, had her usual smile.

Undoing the barrier. Controlling large-scale magic. I still didn’t know what that meant for Master Meltya at this point.

—I just didn’t miss the way her hand trembled faintly for a moment right before we set out.