Chapter 23: Wizard Part 1
Translator: Soafp
The next morning after their 10th birthday breakfast…
“Mother, I’d like to start practicing magic today!”
“Eh, it is so bothersome”
“I….want…to…learn…magic….”
“I’m just kidding~. I’ll teach you later.”
“I was about to transform into Tyra〇to soon!”
“We’re used to Al saying strange things by now.”
Everyone nodded in unison. Clara, you too!
After breakfast…
Today, it seemed they were studying arithmetic. El, Ashera, Marl, and Clara were solving math problems.
“Al, why don’t you study with them?”
“Mother, what’s 11 times 11?”
“Y-you can break it down into 10 and 1…”
“It’s 121.”
“…”
“12 x 12?”
“You know that one, don’t you?”
“It’s 144.”
“You can be quite stubborn at times, can’t you?”
“Like mother, like son.”
“Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”
“That’s right, mother.”
We had a friendly conversation, filled with subtle sarcasm. Afterward, Mom and I moved to the living room.
“Mother, I have some free time. Can you teach me magic?”
“That’s double the work, and it’s a hassle! I’ll teach you later, along with El and Marl. Wait for about two more hours.”
“…”
“I won’t teach you.”
“Understood. I’ll go to the training ground.”
It was better not to push his luck. I reluctantly walked towards the training ground.
(I might as well do some physical exercise.)
After an instant of physical strengthening and wall-running up a tree in the garden, I soon reached the top of the tree.
Looking down from the top, I saw that it was about 20 meters high, a height that would surely kill me if I fell.
I ……
I jumped.
The ground was rushing up toward me at an incredible speed.
Space Kick! My velocity slowed down. One more time. And then another. I was now standing in mid-air.
As I remained suspended in the air, my magical energy was depleting rapidly.
I removed the magical platform and descended to the ground.
What I had just performed was a clever application of the Space Kick technique.
By executing Space Kicks while falling, I could reduce my falling speed with each kick. By repeating the process, I could completely nullify my falling speed.
This meant I wouldn’t die from the fall. Of course, in reality, running out of magical energy or not being able to perform the Space Kick would lead to a fatal fall.
I was always on the lookout for new ways to apply my existing magical techniques.
Lunchtime…
“Finally! Magic!”
“Indeed, it’s about time. I’m excited, too, Nii-sama.”
“I’m a little unsure if I’m ready to move on to magic change.”
The three of us discussed our excitement and concerns about learning magic.
“Alright, all three of you, I’ll start teaching you magic today.”
“Please, Mother.”
“Please, Mother.”
“Please, Rafina-sama.”
“I’ll explain the process. The first spell I’m going to teach you is ‘Light.’ First, you need to decide how much magical energy you want to use. Once you’ve determined the amount, you transform that magical energy into light using energy manipulation. That’s how you create ‘Light,’ easy, right?”
Mom demonstrated by creating light magic at her fingertips.
“Now, for the magical energy transformation practice, you need to start with meditation. Visualize transforming your magical energy into the essence of light. Imagine light itself as you transform your magical energy. You can use any image you find comfortable; for example, I often imagine lantern light.”
“Is it okay to imagine something other than a lantern?”
“Yes, as long as it helps you visualize the transformation.”
“I understand, Mom”
“Mother, I did it. Next is opening my eyes and changing magic, right?”
“That’s right. Go ahead and try.”
I used magic manipulation to create a ball of magic on my fingertip. Slowly, following the same method as before, I transformed it into light magic.
The magic ball gradually started emitting light, and when I had transformed all of my magic power, a brightly glowing magic ball was floating.
“How is it, Mother?”
“Al, you passed. With this, you’ve become a mage.”
I had finally become a mage. Yaaaaaaaaay!
“Do I do the same for other types of magic as well?”
“The basics are the same. For fire magic, for example, you determine the amount of magic power and the shape you want to send it in through magic manipulation, and then you transform it into fire magic.”
“I see.”
“Is there something else on your mind?”
“I have one question.”
“If I can answer, I will.”
“Mom, you referred to the magic as ‘Light’ earlier, but is it necessary to say it out loud?”
“It’s not necessary.”
“Why do you express it in words then?”
“There are a few reasons, but the main ones are two.”
“Two reasons?”
“First is for awareness of those around us. How would you feel if a deadly spell suddenly passed by you without any warning?”
“That’s true.”
“The second reason is to reinforce your own image. As you learn dozens and dozens of spells, it becomes challenging to remember how this magic’s magic power transformation is done, or how magic manipulation should be applied.”
“I see, it might be hard to remember all of them.”
“That’s why we give names to the spells to help reinforce our images. Some schools even use incantations.”
“Chanting, you say?”
“Yes, for example, if it’s ‘Air Cutter,’ you would chant something like, ‘I wish to cut down the enemy with an invisible blade~~~~~~~'”
“It sounds like a hassle.”
“It’s not all bad. Chanting spells tend to have less variation in power among users.”
“I see, so it standardizes the power.”
“In my school, even the same spell can become completely different based on the user’s imagery.”
“So, it’s best to learn from a mentor who suits you.”
“That’s right, but lately, chanting spells have become more mainstream.”
“I think non-chanting spells are more practical.”
“Chanting spells are easier to teach, and the main reason is the duo of chanting.”
“Duo of chanting?”
“Yes, when two or more people simultaneously use the same chanting spell, it becomes slightly more powerful than the original spell.”
“What’s the reasoning behind that?”
“I don’t know. But there’s no doubt that the power increases. Some researchers even suggest that spirits lend their power.”
“I see.”
“In the military and similar organizations, using formation-based chanting spells is more practical than dealing with the variability of non-chanting spells.”
“I understand now that chanting spells are becoming mainstream.”
“That’s why in my school, you have to train at least three disciples.”
“That’s news to me.”
“It is. I didn’t tell you.”
“Do I have to train three disciples too?”
“Of course. Don’t worry; you’ll have three before I die.”
“…”
“It’s okay; you’ll have three in no time.”
I was suddenly forced into taking on three disciples.
Now, let’s regain my focus and continue my magic training!
From there, I tried various things to practice magic transformation.
However, in the house, I could only use light magic. Water and fire magic would flood the house or cause a fire.
“Mom, can I go to the practice field to train in magic?”
“There is a place that Ashera uses, so let’s go there. I’m only allowed to teach magic to people I approve of, and I don’t want too many people to see me do it.”
“Is that so?”
“You didn’t know that?”
“I hadn’t heard about it.”
“I just told you now.”
“Next time, please explain it to me properly.”
“Understood. I’ll explain when El, Ashera, and Marl are all together.”
“Please do.”
“Al is being stubborn about the strangest things.”
Is it my fault? I thought, as I followed Mom.
After a while, we arrived at a clearing in the backyard’s overgrown woods.