Episode 8: Magic Guidance
“I have something I’d like to ask you. I heard your magic power is 40. With that level of magic, how can you perform such powerful attacks? It’s quite a mystery to me.”
“Since my magic power is low, I usually focus on defense. This time, however, my life was on the line, so I put everything into my attacks. Thanks to that, I almost ran out of magic twice and was on the verge of a third depletion.”
“Yet, I heard from Orlan that you were aware of your magic running low and were distributing it between offense and defense.”
“That comes from understanding my own magic. I always keep track of how much magic I use whenever I cast spells. I have to be mindful of how many times I can attack and how much magic I have left, depending on my physical condition.”
“I hear you’ll become an adventurer when you turn sixteen.”
“Yes, that’s my intention.”
“If you’re planning to become an adventurer, you’ll be taking on requests, right?”
“Um, I plan to make a living by gathering medicinal herbs. Magic is merely for defense to survive. I’d prefer to avoid situations like this one.”
“Oh, it’s not a monster subjugation request. I want you to guide me in using magic. I intend to pay a generous fee. I hear adventurers don’t turn down easy money.”
“Are you asking me to teach your resident mage? Even if I agree to teach, I’m self-taught, so I can’t guarantee I’ll meet your expectations.”
“What I want you to teach is for me and my sister, Fiene.”
“Wait, both of you can use magic?”
“I can use Lightning Strike and Ice Magic, while Fiene specializes in Fire and Healing. Our magic power is both 70, but we can’t use our spells as we wish. Even when we ask the Mage Corps for guidance, they only tell us to keep casting spells to refine our magic. Apparently, they don’t know the specifics either.”
“I think I’m not much different from you.”
“Even so, you clearly use magic with a power that’s different from other mages. I’ve heard that adventurers don’t reveal their secrets. I promise not to share anything I learn from you with anyone else.”
“Can I also make a request? If you could teach us for about ten days as a trial, and if it doesn’t work out, feel free to refuse.”
“Kaito, I’m asking you as well. I promise my subordinates won’t interfere at all.”
“If I can stop teaching at any time, then I’ll agree to teach for ten days.”
“Thank you. I’ll have the Head Maid, Aisa, prepare a room for you.”
“Wait… Am I staying here?”
“I heard from my daughter that you’ve left home, but commuting from a hotel would be quite inconvenient. Plus, if you have questions, you won’t be able to ask them right away.”
Sigh…
How many times have I sighed now?
“By the way, Kaito, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but I assume you received Earth Magic, Spatial Storage, and Transfer Magic. Have you managed to use the other two?”
“That’s a rather difficult question to answer. I can manage a small amount of Spatial Storage, but the capacity is only about the size of a backpack that adventurers carry. As for Transfer Magic, I can’t use it. I managed it once, but I only teleported a few meters before running out of magic and collapsing. I don’t want to die, so I won’t use Transfer Magic.”
There’s a saying that sometimes a lie can be a useful tool, so I nonchalantly play dumb. After all, Transfer Magic is my trump card.
“Then let’s head to the training grounds, and I’d like you to observe Fiene’s and my magic and give us some advice.”
As we make our way to the training grounds, the Viscount accompanies us, saying he wants to see the power of your magic firsthand. We first demonstrate their spells, muttering incantations and activating them with shouts. Hyalda’s Ice Magic and Lightning Strike are slow to manifest, lacking both speed and power. Fiene’s Fire Magic, when chanted, produces a gentle flame that rises slowly before being launched with a shout.
The Viscount expressed a desire to see the magic that defeated the Black Wolf, so I aimed at a sturdy target and fired five Stone Arrows in quick succession. After that, I shot two single Stone Lances followed by three in rapid succession. A figure in the distance, presumably a mage, rushed over, exclaiming, “What was that just now?” But the Viscount told him to back off, saying, “He’s my guest.”
“I apologize; I’ll reiterate that you should stay away from him. However, the power you displayed is far beyond what I had heard. Your magic is fast, but you didn’t chant, did you?”
“I didn’t. In fact, it’s unnecessary. Hyalda, could you summon some ice onto your palm?”
“Let the ice, exposed to the winter’s chill, appear upon my palm.”
I can see her channeling magic as she glares at her palm.
“Fiene, please summon a Fireball about 30 centimeters above your palm.”
“I call upon the fierce spirit of flame, gather to me, and appear upon my hand.”
A small flame flickers above her palm, growing larger and rounder as she chants.
“You both don’t need to chant. It would be more accurate to say it’s unnecessary. Do you know why you’re chanting?”
“I was taught that chanting solidifies the image of the magic being cast and determines its size and power.”
“Watch closely.”
I turn my palm upward, and suddenly a sphere the size of a tennis ball appears. In the next moment, it doubles in size, transforms into a star shape, then shifts into a knife before crumbling into sand and falling from my palm.
“What I just did was the same as what you’re chanting; I simply visualized it in my mind and channeled my magic into it.”
The three of them stare at me, mouths agape, fixated on my palm. As a bonus, I extend a stick from the ground, twist its end, and return it to sand.
“Hyalda’s statement isn’t wrong. The chanting is meant to help beginners understand how to manifest magic. However, once you get used to it, chanting becomes unnecessary and even hinders the speed of casting. The shapes, power, and speed you mentioned can be achieved far more quickly by visualizing them in your mind and channeling your magic.”
“So we’ve been using the beginner’s method all along?”
“You mentioned solidifying the image of the magic, right? While chanting, you’re doing the same thing in your mind. You can achieve the same results without chanting. What I just did was simply realize the image using Earth Magic.”
“Then can you create flowers with fire or make them dance?”
I point to the ground and create a small earth golem the size of a toddler. It places its hand on its chest, bows, and begins to walk before tripping and collapsing into sand. Next, I extend a stick, and leaves sprout from it, eventually forming a flower that, while misshapen, crumbles back into sand.
“My imagery may be crude, but for Fireballs and Ice Bullets, you don’t need a complex image. Just focus on the shape, size, and speed.”
“Hyalda, during your free time or before bed, try creating a fist-sized chunk of ice. It’s a large piece of ice compressed into a solid form. Fiene, for your Fireball, compress a Fireball five times its size down to a fist-sized one. There’s no need to launch it; it will disappear if you release your magic.”
“How astonishing; it seems we need to question the common knowledge of the world. But how do you know all this, Kaito?”
“My late mother taught me Life Magic. I based my thoughts on her teachings. Also, before bed, make sure to circulate your magic throughout your body. I don’t fully understand what it means to refine magic, but I believe it’s the same concept.”
Back in my room, while sipping tea, I explained the basic training methods for Earth Magic that I practice. During this time, I had the maids leave the room. The reason was simple: if I were to teach anyone else, there would be no way to defend myself if I were attacked while unconscious.
I also refrained from discussing the differences in magic power and quantity.
“So, you’ve made your sleeping place near the forest or in the grasslands, and you’ve repeatedly lost consciousness to test your limits and the number of times you can use magic?”
“That’s correct. Using magic with a power of 40 means I’m always living on the edge of death. When I use magic in front of others, I expose my limits and abilities. That’s why I prefer to act alone.”
“But this time, you’ve lost consciousness multiple times.”
“When I’m alone, I can create a Dome and hide inside for days if necessary. At that time, I had no fear of being killed, as they would have a lower chance of survival if they killed me.”
“That’s true; you were the only one who could fight and defend against the Black Wolf back then.”
“I was fortunate to receive Earth Magic. If it were any other offensive magic, I could manage some attacks, but the power would be small, and I wouldn’t be able to protect myself when my magic runs low. With Earth Magic, I can abandon everything and protect myself alone.”
“So, it’s safer to be alone, without the need to help others, than to gather companions to grow stronger?”
“That’s how it is. If I keep gathering medicinal herbs for a few more years, I can earn enough to support myself. And with Earth Magic, I won’t even need to pay for hotel expenses, so life becomes much easier. Thanks to Spatial Storage, I can move around without carrying any luggage, even if it’s just a small amount.”