Prologue Story

I am still young.

There is no need to decide my future in advance.

However, for the first time, I thought about it seriously.

What kind of magician do I want to become when I grow up?

There are many types of magicians.

Globally, the most common are combat magicians, followed by support magicians.

Even support magicians are divided into various categories.

However, among them, the roles that support combat magicians are the most common.

Then next… there are artisans.

Artisan-type magicians.

People who develop magical tools or magic items.

Or those who mix magic to create various objects.

There are also people who study magic academically and those who develop life magic.

Medical magicians are also a representative profession.

I looked back at my magic.

In my previous life, I decided on my dream at a young age.

I wanted to become a novelist.

I honed a bit of talent and became a novelist.

So what about now?

I am setting goals for magic.

But I have no goals for a ‘profession.’

I have no aim as a ‘magician.’

“In-ha will probably become a combat magician, right?

Han-soo might become a support magician.

Min-hee too, judging by her shooting magic, is confirmed as a combat magician, right?

What about Hyun-ho?”

Being a freelancer like Auntie Suna, taking on requests that suit oneself, wouldn’t be bad either.

What kind of magician can I become using the illusion, written, and barrier magic I have?

“Since I’m a defensive-type magician, would I work in that field?

The Ministry of Defense, perhaps… becoming a barrier magician wouldn’t be bad either.”

The Ministry of Defense is a magician organization that safeguards the nation’s security.

They protect the country from significant threats using barriers.

That wouldn’t be bad.

“Or joining our school organization would be fine too, like Eun-hee unnie.”

For a moment, I felt an empty sensation.

In my previous life, I had a clear dream I wanted to achieve.

There were so many stories I wanted to tell through that dream that I never felt empty day by day.

But now… I feel like there’s a gaping hole in my chest.

Currently, aside from achieving my magic goals, there’s nothing else I wish for.

“No, that’s only natural. I’m still young.”

I guess I had grown too accustomed to having dreams in my life.

In my previous life, there was always something I wanted to do waiting for me just ahead.

I lightly tapped my head.

“Come to think of it, Senior Ji-hyun also said he would become a guard for our school…”

Senior Ji-hyun said that once he graduated from this school, he would immediately become a guard alongside Chunho oppa.

Chunho oppa also reached B-rank last year.

As I pondered, I realized I might not be able to decide on a dream easily.

But even without a set dream, there were many things I wanted to do.

After all, magic itself is my life now.

For now, I decided to simply look ahead.

If I continue developing my unique magic, I will surely find something I want to do someday.

However, out of curiosity, I asked a question.

“By the way, teacher, why did you become a teacher?”

It was when I was reluctantly writing game scenarios because I couldn’t overcome my master’s pressure.

Goodness, even though I won a gold prize, what kind of trust was being placed in a ten-year-old child to write a scenario?

Well… as I wrote, it became a bit fun, though.

When I first wrote it, my master read the beginning and was amazed, saying, “I didn’t expect you to write so well.”

That’s how it started.

What was meant to be a small try ended up with me writing a full romance scenario game.

My master responded with a puzzled expression.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’m just curious about your motivation.”

“Hmm… I see.”

My master stopped reading the second chapter I had just completed and fell into thought.

“Well… honestly… it’s nothing special.

It’s because my younger sibling’s friends were such troublemakers.

While trying to teach them common sense, I started to feel a sense of duty… I think that’s what made it rewarding and led me to do it.”

Huh? What?

I was momentarily taken aback.

I had asked an ordinary question but received an unexpected answer.

Younger sibling’s friends were troublemakers? Two of them?

“I thought Teacher Junhui was the studious type…”

After pondering for a moment, I asked, half-jokingly.

“That wouldn’t happen to include Teacher Min…?”

“It’s not a big deal. Don’t mind it.”

“…”

I closed my mouth.

So, it’s true.

One of them is Teacher Min.

Actually, it’s not that surprising.

Teacher Min, while seeming approachable at first glance, is the type who feels like he’s hiding something beneath the surface.

I became a little curious.

How did Teacher Joon-hwi and Teacher Min become close?

The two of them are very close.

Now that I think about it, they are almost always together whenever I see them.

Walking together, sitting together, or smiling warmly at each other.

‘But there was one more? Who could that be?’

I was curious but didn’t bother asking.

It wasn’t particularly important.

I sometimes trained diligently, except when my master dragged me to write scenarios.

I even stopped pondering about my future.

I believed that as I stayed with magic, I would find something that suited me.

However, unlike me, who felt fulfilled just by practicing magic, my friends were still kids.

No, even adults would get tired and want to slack off if someone forced them to train.

Yeah, they’d want to skip training too.

Even I feel like slacking off sometimes when Senior Ji-hyun makes me work hard.

It must be the same for my friends.

Especially since we weren’t doing this during class but during our free time.

It was about 15 days after training started.

That day, as we were returning after a sparring session with our seniors, Min-hee muttered dejectedly with drooping shoulders.

“Ah… I have no time to play these days.”

“Indeed… it’s a bit tough,” Han-soo agreed.

Hmm, maybe I’m the odd one out for fully embracing this training.

But I’ve always been like this—once I focus on something, I’m completely immersed.

In my previous life, it was the same.

I wrote novels every day without getting tired, except for the occasional slump.

Even now, I’ve been practicing magic consistently since I was five years old, and I’m still not tired of it.

If anything, I keep asking for more training.

After a while, Min-hee, who had been groaning in exhaustion, made a serious suggestion.

“…How about we skip training tomorrow?”

In-ha and Hyun-ho, who had been hesitating, seemed a little brighter.

“…Should we?”

“Yeah, we deserve a break sometimes~.”

I felt troubled looking at my friends.

Even In-ha was agreeing, which was a headache for me.

Well, I understand how they feel.

It’s like an elementary school student attending extra classes from 9 AM to 6 PM after school.

And that’s been going on for two weeks straight.

But they’d stop training whether they liked it or not by next month.

No matter how hard it gets, I’m desperate to learn as much about combat basics as I can in the short time we have.

As her friends agreed, Min-hee cheered up and shouted with excitement.

“Great! Tomorrow, we’ll skip training boldly…!”

“Hey, Min-hee. Honestly, that’s impossible. You know why?

Because your brother is in charge.”

“…”

Min-hee closed her mouth.

The others avoided eye contact.

Yes, it’s Senior Ji-hyun, that Senior Ji-hyun.

Do you really think he won’t find you if you skip training?

Do you think he won’t scold you?

And anyway, we’re the ones who should be asking Senior Ji-hyun for this favor.

The seniors are very busy, while we, as elementary students, have plenty of time.

Aware of how busy the seniors were, I didn’t want to waste their time.

“Instead, let’s just ask if we can take the day after tomorrow off because we’ve been training so hard.”

“But… that’s no fun! The thrill of skipping is doing it without saying a word!”

This brat.

Where does she pick up such quirky phrases?

…Oh, is it me?

Am I the culprit?

“Your brother must be really busy too. Classes will be over next month anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to just finish quickly and get it done?”

At that, Min-hee’s expression turned pouty.

“Eun-ha, aren’t you tired?”

“I’m not good at combat. I probably won’t become a combat magician anyway, so I want to learn while I can.”

“Cheh. Eun-ha, you’re too uptight! You’re supposed to slack off sometimes!”

Min-hee pointed at me with a sharp motion.

“Anyway, we’re skipping training! Hmph! Don’t you all want to ditch too?”

“Well…”

While Han-soo made a hesitant expression, Hyun-ho nodded enthusiastically.

In-ha subtly avoided my gaze.

I widened my eyes.

Wait, was it really that hard?

No, did they just really want to skip that badly?

Even In-ha…? That was genuinely surprising.

“Hmph! I’ll contact Yoo-jung Unnie and Inho Oppa too! Got it? We’re not coming tomorrow! Don’t regret going alone and missing out!”

“Hey, wait!”

Min-hee, now fully sulking, led Han-soo, In-ha, and Hyun-ho away, and they teleported together, disappearing in an instant.

Ugh…

Tomorrow is the weekend, so it made sense for my friends to want a break.

But I didn’t expect things to escalate like this.

What should I do…?

Scratching my head, I let out a sigh.

I didn’t feel particularly upset.

I had often clashed with my friends over differences of opinion.

These minor disputes always resolved themselves by the next day.

Knowing Min-hee, she’d likely pout and say, “Eun-ha, you’re so petty~,” when we met at school again, then smile as usual.

What worried me was getting scolded by Senior Ji-hyun… but whatever, they’d figure it out.

The next day, my friends skipped training as they’d declared.

It was only that morning that I thought, “Maybe I should’ve at least said something to Senior Ji-hyun…”

We usually came together, but today, I was the only one awkwardly entering the training room alone.

Senior Ji-hyun raised an eyebrow as he noticed me.

That alone was enough for him to grasp the situation.

“They’re skipping.”

Huh?

It wasn’t even time for practice to start yet, and he already knew?

I was a little flustered.

The seniors glanced at me and nodded in agreement.

“Well, they are kids. It’s about time they got tired and started complaining.

Honestly, they’ve held out longer than I expected without whining once.”

“Eun-ha’s here? If you were going to skip, you might as well have skipped with your friends.”

All eyes turned to me.

Feeling a bit nervous, I responded to Yoo Seojun’s remark.

Talking to someone you only vaguely know can feel more awkward than speaking with a stranger.

“I just wanted to train hard…”

“Good for you. Aren’t you tired?”

“It’s tough, but I still want to learn everything I can. I really like magic…”

Yoo Seojun’s eyes widened in surprise, while Senior Ji-hyun gave a bright smile.

Wow, it’s rare to see Senior Ji-hyun smile like that.

He approached me and ruffled my now-grown-out hair.

“You’re going to become a great magician, no matter what you choose.”

Startled by the straightforward compliment, I felt flustered but quickly smiled bashfully.

“Hehe.”

Just then, the door behind us swung open with a loud thud.

Huh?

I turned to see who had come in and widened my eyes in surprise.

It was Han-soo, entering with a sullen expression.

When he saw me standing with Senior Ji-hyun, he frowned.

“…What are you doing?”

“Nothing… Han-soo, weren’t you skipping?”

“I thought about it, but I decided to just come.”

Han-soo chuckled.

“I had a hard time shaking off In-ha this morning.

I ratted out Min-hee so In-ha couldn’t escape and then slipped away.”

“Oh dear…”

In-ha must be really upset right now.

Even though Han-soo is still a kid, he’s talented and hardworking.

It’s honestly impressive.

As for me, well, I’m not really a kid, so I’m out of the equation.

Still, I felt a bit relieved to not be alone.

I smiled brightly at Han-soo.

“I’m honestly relieved I’m not the only one.

If we’re doing this, let’s work hard together.”

“…Yeah, sure.”

Han-soo blushed, looking a little embarrassed.

Senior Ji-hyun gave us a somewhat meaningful smile as he looked at us, then placed his hands on both our heads and tousled our hair.

“Alright, let’s start today’s training.”