Chapter 22

I can't draw, maybe.

That would be a fatal flaw as a "household artist," wouldn't it?

I was supposed to order a picture of a rice cake, but if a rice cake actually arrived, even the Redgard family would be troubled, I would be troubled.

"...Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Just as it is, well, I can make 'pictures become real,' but I can't make 'pictures not become real' without slacking off when drawing..."

...The moment I said that, everyone at the dining table fell silent. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah.

"Eh... You..."

At that moment, Fay was the first to regain her composure.

"Are you still wetting the bed?"

...Huh?

"No, I don't..."

"But doesn't magic leak?"

What do you mean, "magic leaks"? ...Could it be that in this world, "magic that comes out even though you didn't intend to activate it" is treated like bedwetting or something!?

"Y-Yeah... No, sorry, sorry! That's right, you've only been in this world for a little while! In a way, you're like a newborn, so it's not something to be ashamed of... hehe"

...She's laughing. I might be leaking magic, but Fay is leaking laughter. She can't hold it in.

"Hahaha! Is that it! You can't control your magic with that face! You talk normally and have graceful manners, and seem so reliable! What, really!"

"It's fine... without laughing..."

It's awkward. I feel very uncomfortable. Fay is laughing, and my brother and father are also smiling. "So, he's from another world, huh?" "That's right. I had forgotten, but this kind of thing happens."

...Based on a completely different set of values, I'm being found amusing or endearing. It doesn't seem like they find it unpleasant, which is good, but...

"Fay. Having a friend from another world is very... it brightens our spirits, doesn't it?"

"Right? Brother, you must be jealous, right? Huh?"

...It's a bit embarrassing.

In the end, we decided to "practice magic control gradually" and "consider the offer of becoming a household artist" during breakfast.

The Redgard family doesn't seem to want to withdraw the offer of becoming a household artist even after learning that I can't control my magic. They even said, "Why don't you live with us?" Yeah, it's great that they find me amusing. But I feel a bit guilty and, well, embarrassed...

...So, I decided to practice magic control with Fay.

"Alright. Let's start by becoming aware of your magic!"

Fay says that, but... it's difficult from the start.

Until now, I could make pictures become real without particularly being aware of anything. That means, "I don't know why the pictures become real."

I don't have the awareness of using magic, so I can't control it. ...This is bad, so I decided to start by sensing my own magic.

"Do you have that kind of feeling when you use magic?"

"Hmm... maybe"

When I fixed the horse's wings and horns, or when I summoned the crimson dragon. At those times, I felt something flowing out from within me. Could that be magic?

"Got it. Then, try to be aware that what you used at those times is inside your body."

...No, that's difficult. How do you be aware of something invisible inside your body?

"...Can't do it?"

"Yeah"

When I quickly gave up, Fay sighed... and then handed me something.

"Then, this!"

The thing handed to me has a wooden grip with patterns inlaid in a metal like brass, and at the end of the grip, there's a transparent stone like a crystal.

I wondered what it was, but when I gripped the handle... the metal patterns glowed, and the crystal at the end also glowed.

"Ooh. Good, good. It feels right."

Furthermore, the light in the crystal slowly changed colors while flowing through the handle into my body.

"...Wow"

I was surprised.

My hand felt warm and then cool. The sensation entering my hand was different depending on the color of the light in the crystal.

"Got it? This is magic."

"...Yeah. I got it."

This is probably a tool to release the magic inside me once and then put it back into my body. It's interesting. Just by letting it out once, I can become aware of what's there. I can feel that magic is flowing inside me.

"Then, expand your awareness from your hand. Can you feel it flowing through your whole body?"

When I focused, I could indeed feel it. I definitely have magic.

The sparkling, changing colors in the crystal. This is my magic. It's beautiful. So, this flows inside me. I feel a bit happy.

"This tool is amazing."

"Ooh, that's great. I'm glad you like it."

After practicing sensing my magic for a while, I returned the tool to Fay. As soon as Fay gripped it, a crimson flame burned inside the stone.

...Right. Fay also said that magic differs from person to person. This is what she meant.

"By the way,"

Then, Fay... with a mischievous smile, said,

"This toy is something given to babies in this world."

...Yeah.

Well, I've only been in this world for a little while, so I'm like a baby... but...

I poked Fay's side a bit, and she laughed.

That night, I kept practicing sensing magic by holding the "baby's toy."

...It's interesting. Once I became aware of the magic inside me, I could also sense the magic outside me.

I could vaguely feel something like magic in Fay, the flowers in the garden, and the wind. Yeah. This is a bit interesting.

"Alright. Next step! Practice not letting magic leak! If you can do this, you might be able to prevent pictures from becoming real! Good luck!"

The next day, I practiced magic with Fay again.

...I made some progress by being able to sense the magic inside me, but the next step is difficult.

To practice not letting magic leak, today I'm holding a tool that looks like a golden candle made of gold and goldsmithing.

But.

"...Can't do it"

"Ooh... Yeah, well, try your best. Yeah."

This tool, like the one from yesterday, is for practicing magic control. When I grip this candle-like thing, magic flows and a light appears at the tip. So, I'm practicing holding the candle without lighting it... but...

It might be like trying to stop your blood flow with your will. It's that difficult.

The light from the candle-like thing won't go out. I can feel the magic flowing from my hand and becoming light, but I don't know how to stop it.

"Can't be helped. Here."

"Huh?"

Maybe out of pity for me, Fay grabbed my wrist.

Then, the light from the candle-like thing went out... and at the same time, a tingling sensation started to rise.

"Hey, this..."

"Alright. Just hold on."

"Uh-huh..."

I was told to hold on, but this is quite hard to endure. It's tingling and itching, and I can't hold on.

"Fay, let go."

"Just a bit more."

I guess Fay is stopping my magic by grabbing my wrist, but it makes me uncomfortable. It's very tingling.

"Hey, Fay."

"Just a bit more."

It's not ticklish or itchy, just an unbearable tingling!

Tingling and itching... I know I have to hold on, but I can't!

"Enough already..."

"Whoa? Hey, you have no patience..."

I grabbed Fay's hand and tried to pull it off, and she finally let go. Then,

"Whoa!"

At the same time, a beam shot out from the candle-like thing and flew into the sky.

...For a moment, I couldn't think of anything. I was just dazed.

"What was that...? That was amazing..."

While Fay was impressed, I was relieved to be free from the tingling. Yeah, I don't want to endure that again. Enough.

...And when I calmed down,

"You... controlling magic might be quite difficult."

Fay said, looking at me intently. So, I've been saying this all along...

"Your magic is probably off the charts."

...Huh?

The next day.

"This one started leaking magic."

"It seems he had almost no magic before, but suddenly his magic increased."

"He's having trouble controlling it. Is there anything we can do?"

...Today, we called a doctor to examine my magic. Surrounded by the Redgard family, both the doctor and I were a bit troubled, but there was no choice.

Then... I'm keeping it a secret that I'm from another world. So, the only ones who know I'm from another world are Fay, my brother, my father, some of the Redgard family's maids, and the horse and bird.

"Hmm... Yes, it's not uncommon for magic to suddenly increase. There are reports of magic growing rapidly during growth spurts... Is there anything else that might have triggered the increase in magic?"

"Trigger? What kind of thing?"

"For example, reading a special magic book, receiving the favor of a spirit, learning a new magic... Ah, and being in a life-threatening situation can also awaken dormant magic. So, have you had any injuries recently?"

...I apparently was bedridden for about 10 days, but I didn't know.

In the end, the cause was unknown. Or... well, since I almost died, that might be a cause, but I drew a picture of a rice cake and made it real as soon as I came to this world. So, probably... yeah, "because I'm from another world."

The doctor diagnosed it as "likely a growth spurt" and wrote down some methods to deal with it before leaving.

...But.

The doctor said something troubling on the way out.

"Given your high magic, why not aim to become a royal mage?"

...Can a royal mage draw pictures?

"...Hey, Togo. Do you want to become a royal mage?"

"No."

"Right. There's no way you could spend all day drawing pictures as a royal mage..."

I'm glad Fay understands me.

"If Togo wants to, we should take him to the royal palace... but if not, well, since there's an offer to become our household artist, it might be better for him to stay here."

Fay's brother seems to be considering making me an artist.

"Right. Well, Togo should try to learn to control his magic. It's best to wear the seal and practice controlling magic for a while."

...And Fay's father.

Put a "seal" on me.

A "seal" is apparently not a scary thing. It's like a corrective device for people whose magic has suddenly increased or who have too much magic.

It's in the form of a bracelet. It's on my left wrist now. It's like a watch, so it doesn't feel too strange.

Its effect... apparently, it "seals" part of my magic.

...By temporarily reducing my magic, I can practice controlling it in that state.

When I get used to it, I can use a slightly weaker seal and practice controlling my magic again.

When I get used to that, I can use a slightly weaker seal again... and eventually be able to control my original amount of magic.

Yeah. I'll use this to try hard and learn to control my magic.

It's embarrassing to be called "bedwetting" by Fay, and most importantly... if I can control my magic, I might be able to draw pictures as pictures!

...However.

My plan hit a snag after a day and a half.

"Ugh... I didn't expect this to happen..."

I put on the seal and immediately practiced controlling my magic, got tired, drew a picture, stayed at the Redgard house, and the next day, practiced controlling my magic again... and after about a day and a half,

The seal broke.

"...This can only last a day."

"Such... such a thing..."

When we had the doctor examine it again, he said something hopeless.

It seems my magic is too much, and the seal can't handle it. What did I do?

...So, I had to get a different seal.

This time, it's a bracelet... with a black stone in the center.

From now on, I have to change the black stone every day, and the replaced black stone will "release the accumulated magic" as maintenance to make the seal last longer. To weaken the seal, I just need to change the type of stone, so this might be better.

...It's a bit more expensive, but Fay's father won't make me pay. Well, I don't have any money to pay...

While I felt a bit guilty about the money, the others were thinking about something different.

"...Can Togo change the magic stone in the seal once a day?"

When Fay asked... I thought.

Yeah. I'm not confident.

I'm not confident that I can change the stone once a day. I might forget while drawing, and the worst part is, if I forget to change the stone, it might... explode.

So, I have to absolutely not forget to change the stone, but I'm not confident that I can do it. But if I forget, it will be a big problem... but I'm not confident...

So.

"Alright. Then, Togo, let's go!"

"Um..."

I'm going out with Fay.

The reason is...

"Ah, you're still resisting? Slave"

"Yeah..."

We're going to buy a slave.