Chapter 32

Should I do this?

To be honest, I'm torn.

First, let's consider the benefits of being honest... I might learn more about my condition. Since I'm from another world, a proper diagnosis might be difficult, but I hardly understand things like "mana depletion" or "mana" at all. If I can get a better understanding of these things and my own condition, I might be able to draw more efficiently.

However, the biggest concern is that I don't really understand myself, which is unsettling.

On the other hand, there are potential drawbacks, such as danger. While I don't want to be suspicious of everyone... the security in this world isn't that great, apparently.

This is something I find hard to accept. Since magic exists, harming others should be easier than in my original world, and a high level of ethics should be required, I would think... but apparently, even a finger can be healed with medicine, so maybe the ethical balance is zero...?

Well, anyway, the security in this world isn't that great. There are poachers, and people get kidnapped. Even in a normal town, you might hear something like "Should we just kill them?" in a store. ...Isn't that strange? Isn't that strange?

So, I should probably be cautious and suspicious of people. It's sad, but I'm not very good at it.

In that sense, the question is whether I should tell the doctor about my condition.

I can draw and produce gems. Actually, they're not gems but magical stones.

However, from what I've seen and heard about the value of gems and the things I've encountered when trying to sell them, I think this is something unique or extremely rare.

At the very least, it seems that there are no or almost no people other than me who can "produce magical stones at low cost."

If there were many people who could produce things similar to the gems I draw, "summoned beasts as weapons of nobles" wouldn't be a thing. The value would drop. Logically speaking.

So, I think that "what I draw becomes real" is something unique to me. I believe that.

If I tell the doctor about this, I'll be known as a "very rare, one-of-a-kind" person. That sounds... well, it could get complicated.

Doctors are supposed to have a duty of confidentiality and shouldn't talk about patients' personal information, but in this world, my assumptions and common sense don't always apply... so I'm conflicted.

Should I tell the doctor that "what I draw becomes real"?

"He used light magic," Faye's father said.

I was surprised, but Faye's father continued to lie without changing his expression.

"It seems he can't control it well, so he can't use it often... right, Faye? You know him better."

"Ah... Doctor, do you remember the cursed summoned beast that appeared in town the other day?"

While I was wondering what to do, Faye started talking after her father, so I remained silent.

"Yes, yes... I was quite surprised. There were rumors that you appeared on a red dragon and saved the town. It was like a scene from a legend..."

"Don't worry about me. Togo, on the other hand... he helped defeat that summoned beast with light magic."

"Really...?"

It seemed he decided to explain it that way, so I nodded in agreement.

"I was surprised that a legendary creature like a red dragon appeared, but to think there are two heroes here..."

"Yeah, you can praise me more. But about Togo, it's a secret. He doesn't have a sponsor and I don't want him to be too exposed."

Faye's statement was helpful. I don't think they'll ask for details about the "secret."

"Is he... a servant of the Redgard family, then?"

"He's just my best friend. Right, Togo?"

"Yep."

I just smiled and played along. Yeah, I don't want them to think too much about it.

After that, the doctor gave me a new magical stone for the seal and left.

I immediately attached the new stone to the seal. It seems to be a slightly weaker magical stone than the previous black one.

...When I switched the magical stone, I felt a surge of power. Yeah, it must be because the seal is weaker.

For a while, I'll practice controlling my mana with this. For things that require "excessive mana input," I'll remove the seal and materialize them with full power, but for other things, I want to control my mana properly and only use what's necessary for materialization.

"I'm sorry, Togo."

Faye's father spoke to me.

"I said that on the spur of the moment."

"No, thank you."

Faye's father looked a bit apologetic, but I was grateful.

...Yeah. I can experiment and learn about myself, but once something is known, it can't be taken back. So, I think it was better not to tell the doctor this time.

"I see. That's good. ...Your magic is rare. I've never seen anything like it. That's why I thought it would be better to keep it secret until you decide."

Yeah... Yeah?

"Have you... never seen anything like it?"

That... That... Is that true? Really?

"Yeah, that's right. I've never heard of something materializing from a drawing. It's rare. ...Roses, what about you?"

"Me too. I've never seen or heard of it. Faye?"

"Huh? I've never seen or heard of it either. That's why I thought it was rare."

...I see.

I really am rare...

Yeah, I'm glad I didn't tell the doctor.

That day, I returned to the forest from the Redgard family's house. I was worried about my horse.

...Actually, my horse was worried about me, or maybe even pouting.

The pegasus, which had been waiting in the Redgard family's courtyard, didn't want to let me off its back, and kept walking briskly even after we reached the forest.

"Um, I'd like to get off."

I tried to protest politely, but the horse just neighed and didn't let me off.

...Laocrates looked a bit exasperated. Yeah, I don't want to be looked at like that.

Since the horse wouldn't let me off, I used the time to think.

I thought about mana, mana depletion, and magic. Since I didn't ask the doctor, I had to think about it myself.

First, about "mana depletion," I still don't fully understand it. I only recently started to perceive mana.

But, in general, "mana depletion" happens when you use too much mana at once.

...And there are things I know about mana consumption.

First, drawing larger things consumes more mana.

When I first built a house, it was exhausting to draw something larger than myself.

Next, more complex things consume more mana.

For example, a spring that produces water or a pegasus's wings. These are more tiring than drawing wood or ham of the same size.

Then, things I'm more familiar with are easier to materialize. ...Well, this has become less relevant recently.

...And, reflecting a drawing in reality seems to consume more mana than materializing it.

However, this makes sense. The reason is that the area affected is larger.

To make a spring, you need to affect the groundwater. When a pegasus's wings grow, it affects the pegasus's overall condition. In other words, the range and depth of my mana's involvement change.

...From this, I think I can start to figure out how long I'll be unconscious based on what I draw... but my own growth complicates the situation.

I'm definitely growing. I don't know if it's good or bad, but... compared to when I built a house in five stages, I can now build a small house in a day. So, I must be growing.

The reason for my growth... I can explain it because I'm from another world, but more importantly, I feel like I've been training every time I faint.

I've been training a lot by healing horses and fainting. I think.

...And, after I summoned the red dragon, right? If I think about it simply, my mana has increased about five times since I first built a house... and the only things that happened in between were the horses and the red dragon. Yeah, I think those are related in terms of the number of times I fainted and the duration of my unconsciousness.

...Thinking about it this way, fainting from mana depletion might not be all bad. Fainting and looking like a corpse is a bit scary, but if fainting increases my mana, maybe I should actively try to faint?

That way, I could draw and materialize even larger things. It's a bit tempting... so, I think it's okay as long as I don't faint for more than three days. Faye won't be happy, but if I explain the reason, I think she'll understand. Yeah.

...So, I don't have a particularly negative impression of mana depletion anymore.

Therefore, I don't think it's necessary to tell the doctor about my ability to materialize drawings just to prevent mana depletion.

Faye and the others probably struggled with whether to tell the doctor about my ability more than I did. I was conflicted too.

But, probably... well, it seems more troublesome to be known.

Faye also said that many people would try to use me. Because... well, the gems I draw can be sold for a lot of money.

In this world, gems are probably not only jewelry but also practical items and weapons. As Faye said, "summoned beasts are weapons of nobles" because gems are weapons.

And since I can create these "noble weapons"... well, I can make money.

Also, I think I might be valuable to the doctor.

Because I can heal injuries to some extent. This is incredibly convenient, isn't it?

From what Faye told me, there are medicines in this world that can regrow lost fingers, so the medical system here is quite different from what I'm used to. But the goal of healing people is the same... and most importantly, the cost for me is almost zero. I just need paper, paint, and a brush.

...In other words, if my ability is known, it will probably be quite troublesome.

Considering this... I need to seriously consider Faye's offer.

The offer to become the Redgard family's resident artist.