My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 29

"That's quite a big deal."

A barren consolation, so indifferent it couldn't be more distant.

Cain's words, as if he had greater interest in the stir-fried anchovies on the table, caused Arina's face to pout.

"I told you not to brush it off like that!"

Unlike her usual self, who rarely got angry, her voice rose slightly.

That showed just how stressed she was at the moment.

It was only natural, after all.

It was the first assignment she received at Benedict Academy.

A major issue had arisen, putting her at risk of failing.

'I don't really get it, though.'

Cain couldn't understand why failing was such a big deal.

Having never grasped the importance of academics, he couldn't comprehend why Arina was so stressed over something like that.

But separate from that, he could clearly see where she was struggling.

In short, it was like a scenario from a game: a heavy spender in the early stages receives an important quest to capture a rabbit in the field.

Yet, being overpowered even at a low level, they end up defeating the rabbits in one hit and can't figure out how to complete the quest.

Well, wasn't it something like that?

'Controlling power, huh...'

Cain had never intentionally thought about having to control his power.

When he first awakened his supernatural power and needed to handle magic power, instead of becoming a magician who controlled it, he chose the path of a black mage who utilized the wasted power.

Since controlling power was something that naturally resolved as he reached higher realms, from Cain's perspective, Arina's issue seemed to boil down to a lack of talent.

In other words, such problems arise because she was born with mediocre talent.

If she had been born with overwhelming talent like Cain, she would instinctively adjust to a power level of ten, no matter how much magic power from the atmosphere gathered.

And she would do it on the very first attempt.

A genius can never understand someone ordinary.

Those born with absurd talent that defies understanding from anyone.

But perhaps that was a profoundly fortunate thing.

If Cain hadn't had that level of talent, when his supernatural power first awakened, the uncontrollable power would have rampaged, turning another part of the continent into an uninhabitable wasteland like the perpetual frozen lands in the north.

'I can't teach her this method.'

The simplest method that came to Cain's mind was to let the excessive magic power flow out as it was.

This was essentially the principle of black magic, and it was utterly useless to her, who walked the path of a magician.

Besides, judging from the evaluation criteria, it seemed unlikely that such a shortcut would earn her good marks.

Unlike shortcuts like spirit magic or deviating entirely into black magic, magic as a discipline pursued the orthodox path.

Steadily practicing until one becomes proficient.

Other than that, no other method exists.

Therefore, the only thing Cain could say in this situation was something like, "Instead of worrying, just practice one more time."

'But if I say that, she'll definitely get angrier.'

She probably already knew that solution.

What she wanted wasn't a solution but someone to empathize with her feelings and comfort her.

For someone like Cain, who was inherently lacking in the ability to empathize with others, that was an impossible solution.

Earlier, he had tried to empathize, but instead of helping, it had only made her angrier for seeming emotionless.

"......."

Thus, Cain's chosen solution was to remain silent and focus on eating, diligently moving his chopsticks.

And to deeply lament in his heart about how he had ended up in a situation where he had to tiptoe around a kid's feelings.

"Sigh."

In the end, did she give up on being comforted by him?

With a sigh, Arina began to nibble at her food.

She wasn't a particularly fast eater to begin with, but with her worries, she couldn't focus on her meal, making her pace even slower.

So slow, in fact, that by the time Cain finished his meal, she hadn't even eaten a third of her bowl.

Seriously, instead of wasting time worrying, practice at least once more.

"If you're so lost on what to do, why not at least learn some basic martial arts?"

Her behavior eventually broke Cain's resolve to stay silent, and he couldn't help but voice his frustration.

"Huh? Why martial arts all of a sudden?"

"Because mana manipulation or whatever still ultimately involves using your body. If you become a martial artist, it might be easier to handle."

That was true, in fact.

Just as supernatural power users who had experienced mana rampages tended to have higher magic affinity at the same level compared to those pursuing other disciplines.

Martial artists, who primarily used their bodies and instinctively handled mana, generally had better mana manipulation compared to other ability users.

Ultimately, mana manipulation was akin to athletic ability.

Though he said this, it was only out of frustration.

There was no rule stating that delving into one discipline meant one could never learn another.

However, this typically happened only after reaching at least an expert level in one discipline.

For a beginner like Arina, who struggled even with learning magic, trying to dabble in another discipline would only lead to failure on both fronts.

The scope of what she needed to learn would expand exponentially.

In such cases, as far as Cain knew, the only person who had successfully mastered and advanced multiple disciplines beyond a certain level was Greed.

"That's a great idea!"

"......."

But whether she was unaware of this or not, Arina clapped her hands and accepted Cain's words positively.

Seeing that, Cain realized.

Ah, right, she's a beginner.

Not to mention, a child who couldn't yet discern things properly.

It wasn't surprising she didn't know such fundamental details.

"Of course, since studying magic is already overwhelming, I can't delve into martial arts professionally either. But it wouldn't hurt to learn it casually, like exercise."

However, her next words made Cain realize he'd misunderstood.

Arina hadn't thoughtlessly decided to learn martial arts.

Martial arts were merely supplementary.

She had no intention of pursuing it professionally—in fact, it was more like she was simply planning to start exercising.

"Well, if it's something like that."

Running, for example, would certainly improve her stamina.

While it wouldn't be as dramatic as martial arts, better physical coordination could make mana manipulation slightly easier.

But the results would be quite minimal.

In the end, what she needed to do was relentlessly practice, just like other magicians who studied their craft with tireless dedication every single day.

"Mmm."

Ignoring that fact, Arina ate her food at her usual pace, as if she'd found a solution.

'Well, she'll figure it out.'

Despite appearances, she was a diligent kid.

She'd probably lock herself in her room after eating and spend all day practicing with her magic tools.

"Yawn."

Thinking that, Cain left his dishes unwashed, yawned, and trudged over to the sofa to lie down, tapping on his smartphone as always.

His appearance was the embodiment of a lazy, irresponsible adult, in stark contrast to the diligent child.

* * *

Arina wasn't the only one struggling with the assignment given by Professor Natilda.

"Hmm."

The brief break time after lunch.

Today, Heming had finished preparing ingredients early and sat on a chair, staring intently at the magic tool on the table before starting dinner service.

"......."

After fiddling with it for a while, Heming held up the magic tool and focused his strength on it.

Yet, frustratingly, not even the faintest breeze stirred atop the magic tool.

"How is this thing supposed to work?"

Despite the professor explaining it multiple times, he still couldn't understand it at all.

It wasn't that he struggled with using magic power or matching numbers.

Those parts weren't the problem.

The difficulty Heming was currently facing was something far more fundamental.

How exactly was this magic tool supposed to be used?

Confronted with an enormous obstacle right from the start, Heming placed the magic tool back on the table and simply glared at it as if it were his sworn enemy.

"Ugh, what a hopeless case with machines."

A woman handed him a glass of cold water and sat across from him.

Anna shook her head, looking at her husband with a mixture of pity and exasperation.

"Haven't I always told you? You should’ve gotten used to using magic tools more often since back in the day."

Seriously, who in this day and age still keeps a ledger by hand, writing everything down manually?

Even those older than them were capable of doing everything with computers or smartphones.

She simply couldn't understand why a man in his thirties was so stuck in the past, unable to embrace modern advancements.

"You’re so into magic, yet you can’t handle a single magic tool?"

"Haha, I’ve got nothing to say to that."

Heming scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh at his wife’s nagging.

Creak.

At that moment, the door to the Peace Restaurant where they worked opened.

It clearly said they were on break—had the person not noticed?

Since this kind of thing occasionally happened, Anna, who had been glaring at Heming in annoyance, quickly changed her expression into a welcoming smile and turned her head.

"I’m sorry, customer. We’re still preparing for dinner. Would you mind waiting about ten minutes?"

"Oh, no, I just—well, I did come to eat, but…"

Someone hesitantly stepped into the store, cautious in their movements.

At the sound of the familiar voice, Heming turned his head toward the entrance.

"Huh?"

He then leapt to his feet with a delighted smile.

"What brings you here, Tokun?"

"Hello."

Seeing Heming’s reaction seemed to ease the tension from the visitor.

Tokun approached, mirroring Heming’s bright smile, and bowed his head politely.

"I heard you mentioned running a restaurant last time."

"I don’t think I told you the location, just the name of the place. You found it pretty well."

"I searched it up online, and it showed up. I followed the GPS to get here."

Tokun held up his smartphone as he explained.

Perhaps because he had been wrestling with the uncooperative magic tool earlier—

Heming found himself swallowing hard and closing his eyes at the sight.

He thought about how quickly the modern world had advanced.

"This is my new friend from the Academy, Tokun Masao."

"Ah, so this is that…"

She had heard quite a bit from her husband.

He had mentioned befriending a younger man not much older than their son.

He had said the young man was kind-hearted and took good care of him despite the age gap.

"And this is my wife, Anna."

"Nice to meet you, Tokun."

"Ah, yes! Nice to meet you too! Um, well…"

What should he call her?

Sensing the dilemma, Heming chuckled lightly and spoke casually.

"Just call her Auntie like you call me Uncle."

"Oh, come on, I’m not an Auntie. Would you mind calling me Aunt instead? Just ignore whatever he says."

Anna shot him a glare and jabbed his side with her elbow.

Heming clutched the wall and winced in pain, tears welling up from the sudden jab.

"Didn’t I tell you not to jab me with your elbow? Yours is pointy, and it hurts!"

"Then maybe you should watch what you say."

Their playful bickering gave off a warm, familial atmosphere.

"Ah, right. You said you came to eat, didn’t you?"

Heming tidied up the magic tool he’d been fiddling with on the table.

Then, guiding Tokun to a seat, he spoke.

"Is there anything you feel like eating? We’re just a homestyle Korean restaurant, so I’m not sure if it’ll suit your taste."

"It’s fine. I’m not picky and can eat just about anything. But didn’t you say you were on break earlier?"

Worried that he might be interrupting their rest time, Tokun glanced at him apologetically.

Heming let out a small laugh, as if to say there was no need to worry.

"Let’s just say we’re starting a bit early today. Besides, I finished prepping the ingredients quicker than usual."

He opened the menu and placed it in front of him.

"Fermented soybean paste stew might not suit a young man’s palate. Do you like meat? My wife makes stir-fried pork that’s absolutely to die for."

"Ah, but I’m not good with spicy food…"

"Really? Then how about stone pot bulgogi?"

"I’ll take that."

"Got it. Auntie! One stone pot bulgogi here! Make it extra meaty and delicious for our VIP guest!"

"Who are you calling Auntie! Who!"

Anna playfully pulled on his sideburns in response to his comment.

Then, breaking into a smile, she headed into the kitchen.

Soon, the sound of cooking came from the kitchen, and the delicious aroma began to fill the restaurant.