"Deaths are normal in this side of the world."

My father told me those words when I realized what kind of life I was actually having. I hunted down rogue magicians and captured them after a fight to the death. There were even some who were executed because I caught them as an Enforcer.

However, the moment I truly understood what death meant was the time when I was standing over my uncle's grave. The rain fell down from the sky and while it could hide the fact that I was staring blankly while tears ran down my face, I still knew that I was crying.

Now that I thought about it, that was the last time my father was smiling playfully. Ever since that day, he became stricter with my training and drilled into me the values and principles of the Millenium Nights Association. A single death was enough to change my life and I walked the path of a magician.

Everything around me was dark. It was as if I was floating in the void. I've read several materials describing the afterlife but it was a secret that the grim reapers were trying to keep. But I knew very well that I was most likely not dead yet. My hands were cold after all.

Time passed and my senses slowly returned. The softness of my mattress, the warmth of my blanket, the heaviness of my body, and all other things were coming back… And that included the sheer pain every single cell in my body was experiencing.

When I opened my eyes, a familiar ceiling greeted my vision. It was definitely my room's ceiling. There was only one reason why my body was in extreme pain.

"I'm… still alive… today", I muttered.

My throat was dry and breathing air hurt. That pain was proof that I was still alive and it wasn't enough to make me wish for death. But my mana was too low and I couldn't focus enough to channel it so I couldn't do any magic to ease my suffering.

"So… you almost died", a man's voice said.

He was sitting on a chair beside my bed and reading a thick grimoire. But my years of being his son made me think that he was really furious with me.

"Sit", my father said.

A warm glow surrounded my body and the pain was gone. Thanks to his magic, I managed to sit up. But I couldn't face him. He was a strict teacher but he was also an understanding father. That's why whenever he got mad, I knew that I messed up.

"How was your fight with that homunculus?" he asked.

"... Do I have to say the obvious?" I asked back.

"Hearing yourself say it will have a greater impact on you. How does it feel to lose against a weaker magician?"

I clenched my fists. Despite being a well-made homunculus, E-004 should be weaker than me in terms of mana and magic. It was amazing that he had an Arcanum but he shouldn't be able to beat me.

"I… underestimated him", I said.

"And do you know why?"

It was obvious why. But it was hard for me to say it. As a magician, I searched for the truths in this world. However, that didn't mean that the truth was my ally.

"Did you realize your arrogance, Takeda Felix?!"

Father closed his book and glared at me. His mana was saturating the room and it made cold sweat run down my body. I couldn't fight back because I was completely in the wrong.

"If you were careful, you could've noticed that your enemy dragged another person into the Phantom World. You could've prepared your defenses. You could've disrupted his magic! But what did you do?!"

"I… I tried to dodge it since it's easy to do.."

"Did you really think your opponent didn't consider that?! Did you think he was stupid to use an easily dodgeable magic?! Did you think he had no plans?! Are you looking down on others too much? Or are you thinking too highly of yourself now that you consider yourself a 'warrior'?! You might've learned how to use magic in a fight but you have become far weaker than before!"

A warm feeling ran down my face. It was pathetic. My chest felt tighter as frustration overwhelmed me. He was completely right. I became too arrogant and lost my path. Many magicians lost their lives and everything they cared for because of their arrogance and the same thing almost happened to me.

"Mary placed magic on you to warn her if you overload your Arcanum. If she was a second late after she noticed your mana rapidly slipping away, then the homunculus would've finished you off and the supernatural creature who tried to not let you die! If Mary arrived a second later in Faust's laboratory, you could no longer be saved!"

The suffocating pressure disappeared and father finished his lecture. I couldn't form any words as I sniffed through my tears. His words stung because those were the truth.

"Your body is still sick from Cursed Mankind and once my magic wears off, you will have a high fever, strong headache, and other problems. You're lucky you're still alive", he said.

"Yeah… I am", I replied.

"For three days, you aren't allowed to use magic. You cannot have others use magic on you in order to ease them. "

"W-What?! Why?!"

"To know your place. You've begun to think you are better than the common man because of your magic. Let me clear it up for you, Takeda Felix. Magicians are different from the common men but that doesn't mean they are better than them. Once you experience the suffering of everyone else, you will learn how to be responsible with your magic."

An orb of light shot from his finger and hit my chest. For a few seconds, a violet magic circle appeared on my body before disappearing. It was definitely a magic that monitored my mana.

"I trust you know what happens if you disobey my commands, right?" he glared at me.

"Y… Yes, sir."

###

Morning came and I already wished I was dead.

My body was too heavy and I could barely move my limbs. A splitting headache was torturing me along with a high fever. I couldn't feel anything since my sense of touch was numb.

"...W… Water", I muttered.

"Here you go", a woman's voice said.

"Thanks…"

After I drank from the cup that was offered to me, I noticed the wrong thing in that situation. Our house's security system was among the best and so, my parents had no problems letting me live alone… It was concerning that someone else handed me a glass of water despite the fact that I'm supposed to be alone in this house.

"What are you doing here, Hoshimachi-san?" I asked her.

"You protected me from that homunculus and your mother was really worried when she arrived. I wondered what happened to you but this house is dangerous", she explained.

"So why are you inside?"

"A kind woman let me in. Mary-san said that her husband is most likely being a meanie so when she saw me and interrogated why I was on my way back from your house, she said she'll allow me to take care of you while you're sick."

Mother was being nosy again. She was most likely told by father that she wasn't allowed to take care of me and so, she asked Hoshimachi-san to do it for her. Why would she trust a complete stranger to take care of me when I was under a magic ban?

"She's a funny woman. She said something like she wasn't going to let a few hundred thousand euros go to waste so she insisted on letting me nurse you back to health", Suisei said.

Mother was being too nosy again.

"I should prepare your breakfast. Do you have any requests?" she asked.

"I'm fine with anything so just do what you want. I'll just reimburse you if you're going to buy other ingredients."

"It's not about the money."

"Then what is it about?"

"It's about being a good friend. If you want to repay me, you'd better start calling me 'Sui-chan', Felix-kun."

Why would she even go so far?

But if she was doing it out of her own free will, then I should let her do as she pleases. It would even help me since I was useless without my magic. I wasn't even in the condition to argue against her since the headache was killing me.

Time passed by as I was lying helplessly on my bed. Sweat covered my body but at least breathing was easier. I was lucky that my mother managed to convince one of the greatest experts in Healing Magic to deal with me after I got hit by Cursed Mankind. Otherwise, I would've been in a coma and/or had permanent injuries that couldn't be fixed by any form of known magic.

Did you realize your arrogance, Takeda Felix?!

If I had magic, I could at least numb my senses so I won't be suffering too much from my headache. I could even cool myself down and hasten my recovery from my fever. And if I meditate while manipulating my mana, I could speed up my body's healing process.

How could the common man survive something like this?

Magic always helped me. If I got injured, I learned how to use Healing Magic. When I broke things, I mastered Restoration Magic. Fighting strong opponents made me practice with offensive-type magic.

A magician's path was lonesome because we were capable of doing things we desire all by ourselves. Even the limits of a lifespan could be overcome if we dedicated ourselves to our magic. Maybe I really was arrogant.

Now that I had a magic ban, I was useless. I was barely managing with this injured body and it probably wouldn't heal itself as fast as the times I could use my abilities. How were the non-magicians able to live like this?

The door to my room opened and I smelled something good. Hoshimachi-san was carrying a tray that had a bowl. She then walked towards my bed and I saw that she cooked porridge.

"Thank you", I said.

"No problem", she replied.

She handed me the spoon and I took my first bite. The warmth of the meal and its deliciousness made me forget that I was sick. It was weird how I couldn't sense any mana on it but I felt energized.

"Delicious", I continued eating.

"Thanks!"

"It's way better than what I usually cook."

"Is that so? I can see why. You're a magician so you'd probably want to spend more time researching this world's mysteries rather than learn how to cook."

"You're not wrong. There is magic that can enhance the flavor of the meal but I'm impressed how there are no traces of mana in this. I don't think I can do something like this without magic."

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses. That's why we form bonds. What someone cannot do is done by someone else who can do it. One uses his strengths to cover the weaknesses of others and others use their strengths to cover his weaknesses. By supporting each other like that, we all grow."

"Really? Is that how it works?"

"Yep! That's what friends or any other relationships do."

"I… I see…"

Looks like father was correct. Just because I was a magician who was different from the common men didn't mean that I was better. There was no need for me to make friends who would cover my weaknesses because what I didn't know, I just put in the effort to learn. That was the path of a magician.

And it truly was a lonesome path.

But this entire experience made me realize one thing.

So this was how the common man survived all this time…

After finishing the bowl, Suisei gave me some medicine and water. I drank them and my headache became somehow manageable. She then took out some cold compress so I laid down on my bed and let her put it on my forehead.

"Thanks, Sui-chan", I said.

This isn't so bad…