My name is Cid Kageno. 17 years old.
I was born into a small noble house in Fiore: The Kageno family. Not rich enough to matter. Not poor enough to be tragic. Just… somewhere in the middle.
My dad is bald. Like, completely. He looks like the kind of guy who loses arguments to his wife, which is accurate because my mom runs the house like a tyrant in an apron. My sister Claire is the "genius of the family", able to wield magic with ease. She's a knight in the royal guard now. A sword mage. Everyone loves her.
And me?
I'm just the untalented mob second child who will never inherit the domain, and who had to go out to make a living at 16 years old.
The ultimate mob secret technique: Perfect mob little brother
--
I don't really remember what the trigger was. All I know is that for as long as I can remember, I've always yearned for "power in the shadows."
Was it because of anime? Manga? Or maybe movies?
Honestly, it doesn't matter.
As long as it was power that lurked in the darkness, I loved it. Not the hero. Not the last boss. I'm talking about those existences that interfere from the shadows and only reveal their true strength when it really matters.
I adored them. And I wanted to be one of them.
What heroes were to normal kids… "shadow power" was to me. That's all it was.
But unlike those kids who adored heroes, my passion didn't fade with age. It burned deep in my chest and pushed me forward.
Karate, boxing, kendo, mixed martial arts, and more— I threw myself into learning anything that would make me stronger. And while I trained, I made sure to keep it all hidden.
Why?
Because a true master in the shadows never shows his hand openly.
I was waiting for that moment… when I would finally reveal my power to the world.
At school, I was the very definition of "Mob Character A." Harmless. Forgettable. Average.
But behind that mediocrity was grueling, relentless training. That was my youth. That was my school life.
But as time passed, unease started to gnaw at me. Reality was tapping me on the shoulder, whispering,
"You're just a human."
No matter how much martial arts I mastered, I could only beat up some punks. If firearms came into play, it'd get tough. And if I got surrounded by trained soldiers in full equipment, that would be game over.
A "power in the shadows" that gets beaten up by regular soldiers. Pathetic.
Even if I trained for decades, even if I became the world's strongest martial artist, I'd still die if I got surrounded.
Well… maybe if I trained enough, I could still handle it somehow. Perhaps humans have the potential to beat armed soldiers.
But even then— If a nuke fell on me, I'd be vaporized.
That was the limit of being human. And I could say it with absolute certainty:
The true "power in the shadows" I admired would not be vaporized by a nuke.
So if I wanted to be that kind of existence… I too, had to become someone who wouldn't be vaporized by a nuke.
What kind of strength would I need for that? Punching power? A sturdy body? Infinite stamina?
Of course not. That wouldn't be enough.
I needed something else entirely. Something extraordinary. Magic.
That was the conclusion I reached.
And yes, anyone who goes around searching for "real magic" would be seen as insane. I'd think the same thing.
But in this world, no one has proven magic exists… and no one has proven it doesn't either.
Which means… the door is still open.
Sanity wouldn't grant me the strength I sought. That kind of power definitely lies beyond, in insanity.
From that day on, my training got more intense.
I meditated like a monk. I sat under waterfalls. I fasted. I practiced yoga. I prayed to gods I didn't believe in. I tried summoning spirits. I even tied myself to a cross at one point.
There was no correct answer. No guarantee of anything.
All I could do was keep walking down the path I believed in— alone, in the dark.
Time passed. I reached the last summer of high school. And I still hadn't found magic.
…Until one night.
I'd just finished training in the forest. Then, a bright light flickered on and off in my head, and my vision started wobbling.
Magic. It had to be magic.
I'd stripped off all my clothes to merge with nature, and repeatedly slammed my head against a thick tree trunk to purge my mind of distractions.
A perfect, logical training method.
My vision blurred. My steps grew light. It felt like I was floating. It was like I was having a concussion...
And then I saw them. Two lights, swaying in the air.
White. Mysterious. Guiding me. Inviting me.
It was magic. Finally.
Before I realized it, I was running. Even when tree roots tripped me, I rolled forward like a wild beast.
"Magic magic magic magicmagicmagic," I kept muttering under my breath as I plunged toward them.
I leapt. I reached out my hand.
The moment I touched the lights, the world turned pure white.
Screeching brakes rang in my ears.
A shock tore through my body.
And then—darkness.
In conclusion… I did find magic.
When I woke up, my surroundings were overflowing with mana.
A little different from those two lights I'd seen… but really, who cares about the small details?
--
The guild was as noisy as ever.
Laughter. Shouts. Someone flying across the room. The usual.
In a corner with a cup of tea, blending in perfectly, watching the chaos like background scenery, was the perfect mob Cid Kageno, remembering his past.
"I - need - more - power."