Chapter 9: The Common Sense of Magic is Uncommon Sense
Three days later, I returned to the training grounds to witness the results of Fiene and Hyalda’s practice.
Fiene was struggling to create a large Fireball. The size of a fist, her Fireball barely radiated warmth, clearly indicating a lack of magical power. Hyalda was in a similar situation, using her mana in a forced and strained manner. Their images of magic were muddled, preventing them from channeling their mana effectively.
“You both haven’t mastered the basics of mana manipulation,” I said. “Magic isn’t about straining or squeezing out your mana.”
I conjured a sphere about 30 centimeters in diameter and rolled it around as I walked in circles around them.
“See? The sphere rolling in front of me is being controlled by magic, but I’m not exerting any force. I can do this while walking normally. Just imagine creating and rolling the sphere, and channel your mana into that image. Approach it as casually as a stroll, and you won’t need to exert yourself.”
Standing before them, I lifted the sphere to chest height, allowing them to touch it before slowly compressing it.
“I’m compressing the sphere, but it’s getting hotter, isn’t it?”
I let go, and even as they stepped away, the compression continued. The sphere glowed red-hot, melting like lava while still maintaining its shape. I created a hole in the ground, dropped it in, and buried it.
“With just an image, I can achieve all this. The common belief that earth and stone are heavy doesn’t apply to magic. If you think it’s natural for a large flame to shrink, then it will be.”
I then instructed them to create a flame the size of my head.
“You saw what I did earlier. Relax and visualize a flame the same size as my head. Once you can picture it, channel your mana into that image.”
Suddenly, a flame appeared beside me, but with a shriek of “Kyaa!” it vanished.
“You did it, didn’t you? Keep practicing that. Let’s save the compression for when you can do it perfectly. If you can do it anytime and anywhere, the rest will be easy.”
Next, I turned to Hyalda’s ice magic. Having observed Fiene, she managed to create it effortlessly. She was so surprised by how easily she did it that she couldn’t believe it herself.
“Keep going. Just focus on the size, and make sure you can do it anytime and anywhere. Fiene, you’re tensing your shoulders.”
I constructed a wall measuring 3 meters in both height and width in a corner of the training ground. This was for target practice, and I planned to reinforce it with more mana before using it for their shooting drills. A mountain of ice had formed in front of Hyalda.
“Are you both feeling any fatigue? If you start to feel tired, stop.”
“It’s strange how easily I can do this,” Fiene remarked.
“Yeah, I feel the same. It’s unbelievable how easily I can create ice now, as if everything before was a lie.”
“Don’t forget to maintain the same size while creating.”
Noticing their faces showing signs of fatigue, I decided to stop and head back to the room for some tea. While sipping tea in the salon, I asked them how they were manipulating their mana. My knowledge came solely from light novels, so I was curious about the methods of mana manipulation in the real world.
They explained that they had a mana reservoir beneath their hearts, where they literally kneaded it. The practice of channeling it to their palms to manifest spells made my head ache just listening to it. I thought to myself, light novels are truly magnificent!
I asked a maid to step outside, and I shared that my method was taught to me by my mother. I requested that if anyone asked about my incantations, I should say I was using a shortened version.
“If I say I chant in advance and then cast the spell with the keyword ‘Fireball’ at the end, they should understand.”
“You’re feeling a bit tired now, aren’t you? When you’re excited or in a fight, you don’t feel fatigue. When you start to feel tired, that’s when you’re on the brink of running out of mana. You two were just a step away from that earlier.”
“That’s true. When I was told it was time for tea, I felt tired on the way back. Until then, I hadn’t felt anything, but I was so happy and excited.”
“Magic can be deadly if not used calmly. You should think of it as a given and always consider how much mana you’re using. Separately, I will teach you a slightly modified method of mana manipulation that my mother taught me. It’s about circulating mana within your body. Sit comfortably and become aware of your mana. Once you can send it from your arms to your fingertips and back, then to your feet and back again, you’ll be able to circulate mana anywhere in your body. This is practice for handling mana.”
“It seems like the previous method has just become a bit more complicated.”
“Exactly. The difference is that as you get used to it, you’ll start to understand how much mana remains circulating in your body. After using a large amount of mana, you can take a break and then gauge how much mana has recovered. You’ll be able to estimate the amount of mana circulating within you.”
“Relying on you for guidance was the right choice.”
“Indeed, while it may seem unconventional, I believe this method makes more sense. Once I understood the imagery, the manifestation of magic became so smooth.”
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When I was called by the Viscount to his office, I found Guildmaster Norman from the Adventurers’ Guild there. He seemed to have brought the settlement money for the Black Wolves and was discussing it with the Viscount.
“You look well. It’s a bit late, but here’s the settlement for 21 Black Wolves—60,000 Dalar for each of the 20, totaling 1,200,000 Dalar, plus the boss at 180,000 Dalar, making a total of 1,380,000 Dalar.”
He handed me a hefty leather pouch. I was asked to confirm it and counted 13 gold coins and 8 silver coins, bowing my head in gratitude. I mentioned that I would continue gathering medicinal herbs and register as an adventurer next year, and he left with a smile.
Afterward, the Viscount, Hyalda, and Fiene gathered to thank me for the carriage rescue, and another leather pouch appeared—three of them, in fact.
“Viscount, isn’t this a bit too much?”
“Nonsense. I believe it’s far too little to complain about, considering the value of the lives of my daughter and the knights. I’ve also provided appropriate consolation money for the knights and the coachman who perished, so please accept it without worry. Also, I’ve heard you’ve left home. I’m gifting you a room in a hotel where merchants stay, located between the market and the Adventurers’ Guild. Feel free to use it as you like. The hotel is named Egdra Hotel after the town. Just tell the manager your name, and they will show you to your room.”
“Ah, this is too much for a poor noble’s son like me; I might end up squandering it.”
Fiene and Hyalda giggled softly. Well, considering the nobles’ pride, I accepted the leather pouch with a sincere thank you and stored it away.
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Ten days of magic practice were not enough, and it extended to an additional ten days. During this time, they insisted that I drop the honorifics, as they were learning the fundamentals of magic from me as disciples.
While it seemed intimidating to address noble children and siblings without honorifics, I felt it would be troublesome to refuse. Fiene could now create Fireballs at will. When aiming at a target, she hit 95 out of 100 shots at 30 meters, 75 out of 100 at 40 meters, and 60 out of 100 at 50 meters. Hyalda, on the other hand, had achieved a perfect score of 100 out of 100 at 30 meters with Ice Bullets, 85 out of 100 at 40 meters, and 75 out of 100 at 50 meters. Their rapid improvement in magic was kept a secret.
“Finally, please float a Fireball and an Ice Bullet two meters in front of you.”
When I lightly struck the floating Fireball and Ice Bullet with a stick made from Earth Magic, they easily crumbled and vanished.
“Now create the same objects again, but make them hard enough that they won’t break when struck.”
They exchanged glances, bewildered.
“If you remember everything I’ve taught you, you should be able to do it. You’ll find that you can easily perform Lightning Strike and Healing Magic without my guidance. It’s also essential to think of new ways to use magic beyond what I’ve told you.”
“I understand! It means to discard common sense! Fire isn’t shapeless and fragile; it can be as solid as stone!”
When she struck the floating Fireball with the earth stick, it produced a solid sound, “Konkonk.” She swung the stick back and struck it down, breaking it, and with a frustrated expression, she conjured the Fireball again. When she swung down once more, a resounding “Kageen” echoed, but the Fireball remained afloat.
“Pass. Do the same with Healing Magic—think outside the box and complete it on your own.”
“Kaito, please help me with my ice magic too.”
Seeing Hyalda flustered as her sister surpassed her made me chuckle.
“Don’t laugh. Just watch me.”
A chunk of ice floated in the air, making a sound like Kyuuuuu as it compressed, shrinking down only to be enveloped by new ice and compressed again.
As I looked at the finished ice chunk with satisfaction, I struck it sideways, and with a Gon, it rolled away from me.
Fiene was doubled over in laughter, while Hyalda wore a sullen expression as she received the news of her success. “It’s not always about striking from above,” Fiene lectured with a knowing look. “Magic is full of unexpected occurrences.” She advised them to envision solid flames or solid ice from the very beginning, rather than compressing them.
Afterward, I mentioned that I had something important to convey and made my way to the salon, ordering tea while I waited for the maid to leave.
“You two have a Mana Grade of 70, right?”
I asked, prompting them to nod in response.
“What I’m about to discuss is the final lesson on the basic usage of magic. This is just my speculation, but I don’t think I’m too far off, so please keep it between the two of you.”
I observed their serious expressions as they nodded in agreement.
“Do you have any doubts about the term ‘Mana Grade 70’?”
Fiene tilted her head, exchanging glances with Hyalda, who rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.