Chapter 326: That’s the Kind of Performance It Had
“Isn’t it quicker to learn the magic procedure to take down a two-horned Giant Lizard solo?”
Thanks to Retze’s invaluable advice, I decided to learn Fire, Wind, and Earth Magic. Just enough to deal with the two-horned Horned Rabbit around here.
First up, the Magic Circle.
“…So, here I select the Spirit to summon, here I set the restrictions to prevent physical and mental harm to the caster, here I ensure that once they come close, they can’t escape until the job is done, and here…”
First, I activate the Magic Circle with a spell. If the Spirit is fixed, I proceed as is; if it’s a type that requires selection, I cast the spell there—
The spell serves as a kind of password to activate the Magic Circle, and there are specific words to instruct the Spirit. Even the words I choose must be interesting enough to catch the Spirit’s attention, so there are a few rules to follow.
“You’re making sure the Spirit doesn’t do anything unnecessary, huh…?” It feels strange since they seem to listen to my wishes so readily.
“The values and perspectives differ, you know. It varies by the individual Spirit too. Some get angry when summoned, some are mischievous, and sometimes good intentions lead to terrible results. At the very least, you have to make them promise not to harm the caster and to leave some magic power for the last.”
“I see?”
So that’s why the glasses in the mine had several talismans prepared; they had a Magic Circle ready for each type of magic they used.
Having a Magic Circle means I can use less magic power on the spot compared to specifying everything with spells, and it reduces the chances of failure.
The first time I used Light, it was a terrible blinding experience. When I practiced magic in the Forest, the power was significantly different compared to when I used it at home, but now I feel no particular excess or deficiency no matter where I use it.
When I went to the cold Forest to get the Ex-Staff, I had Dan-chan in my clothes by the Fireplace, half using physical warmth to keep me warm. Compared to that, now I’m comfortably asking for help.
“By the way, why do my wishes generally go through without restrictions?”
I looked at Retze and asked. I was the one who had been told by Haulon not to call it magic.
Curious gazes gathered on Retze.
“…Why do you think I didn’t mention it earlier?”
Retze gave me a half-lidded look and poked my cheek in a somewhat educational manner.
Ah, is it related to the secret I haven’t revealed yet? Sorry for not noticing. Please forgive me; I’m a bit more stretched than usual.
“You still have secrets, huh? …Fine, spill it all. I’ll put an Oath Document in place to keep it quiet.”
Haulon said, sounding a bit exasperated.
Immediately, Note placed some documents in front of Haulon.
“You had that prepared, huh…?”
“Recently, I’ve kept a few on hand.”
He continued with an ink pot and quill for signing.
Haulon looked like he was about to sigh, his face slightly tired as he signed. Then, out came Rudil.
“…Well, that happens sometimes.”
The Butler had a distant look in his eyes.
“Not at all!!”
“Not even close!!!”
Haulon and Dinoss chimed in.
“…Who is it? Another new one?”
Retze asked, pressing his forehead.
“Rudil. He governs the Earth and Silence, and he usually watches over our Rishu. Is Haulon a Changeling?”
The ones that had appeared until now were during the Changeling incident.
“Not at all. But I have absorbed quite a bit of the Earth Spirit’s Power—wait, that’s definitely not the reason I showed up!”
Haulon, despite being a burly old man, sometimes reminded me of Soleil. I realized it was because he answered my questions in a confused manner, even with tears in his eyes.
“Note!!”
“I had a feeling this would happen. In this case, the Oath Document becomes more solid, so it should be fine.”
The Butler nodded to Dinoss, who was shouting. Apparently, it was within range.
“So? Why don’t my requests get distorted?”
“You… Aren’t you a bit too laid-back?”
When I asked Retze what I wanted to know, I got a different response.
“I’ve gotten used to confusion and chaos.”
“Getting used to it is fine, but you need to keep things in order…”
Retze sighed.
“I’m just thinking out loud, so I don’t know if it’s right. But I named it to help, and that spread, making the Spirits more favorable. Plus, thanks to the Ex-Staff. The King’s Branch is meant to mediate between Spirits and humans; that’s how it’s supposed to work, and what you wished for might have influenced it too, right?”
“Ah! It feels so comfortable!”
Now that I think about it, its basic performance is to attract Spirits and make them work more in line with human values, leading to a happy ending.
“Didn’t you just have a really messy understanding of the King’s Branch…?”
“I got it from Retze’s explanation just now, okay?”
No problem at all.
“Wait a minute, I feel like two bombshell pieces of information just dropped that I didn’t know about!?”
Haulon was in a state of confusion!