Chapter 11

"Hot!!!"

Mika's scream echoed through the forest.

Mika fell backward, writhing and rolling on the ground.

With a groan of "Ah! Ugh!" she clutched her right wrist with her left hand, thrashing about.

After rolling around for a while, she calmed down but lacked the energy to get up.

"Damn it, I should have thought this through more!"

She cursed at herself.

It was the second day of trial and error to increase the power of her fire magic.

She had tried various methods, such as imagining rocks melting and visualizing the color of flames changing with temperature, but the results were not promising.

This led her to the fundamental question: What exactly is heat?

Heat is a form of energy, familiar from chemical reactions like combustion.

More precisely, it is a form of energy transfer.

Physics and thermodynamics from her student days were now distant memories.

She pulled out these vague recollections and began to think about heat.

Thinking about work, internal energy, and state equations brought back nostalgic feelings, but also bitter memories of struggling before exams.

She wrote down the formulas she could remember on the ground, but they didn't seem very helpful.

What she needed was not numbers on paper but a way to change the state of the "fireball" in front of her.

What exactly is heat?

Isn't it the vibration and rotation of atoms and molecules?

Temperature rises because the vibrations become more intense, and it decreases as the vibrations calm down.

Most people know that microwaves heat food by causing water molecules to vibrate.

But in theory, does "intense vibration" mean faster vibration, larger amplitude, faster rotation, or all of the above?

Mika is not a scientist or a researcher, so she only has vague knowledge from what she has read or heard.

She had already tried simply thinking "become hotter" to the "fireball" and found it ineffective, so she decided to try a different approach.

"Thinking about intense atomic vibrations is quite abstract..."

She couldn't form a concrete image.

She had never seen atoms, let alone their vibrations.

All matter is composed of atoms, and atoms are made up of quarks and Higgs bosons, but such knowledge didn't evoke much more than a "hmm" from her.

But with no other ideas, she decided to give it a try.

"Fireball!"

She raised her right palm and created a "fireball."

The golf ball-sized "fireball" floated about ten centimeters above her right hand.

It burned, but it wasn't particularly hot.

However, it was already summer, and the "fireball" in front of her made the air feel stifling.

She felt sweat bead on her forehead and decided to try quickly.

(Well, I'll just give it a shot...)

She stared intently at the ball of flame, imagining the vibrations becoming more intense and the temperature gradually rising.

She noticed a slight change.

The flames grew larger and burned more intensely.

"Hmm? Could it be working?"

Was it just her imagination?

No, the flames definitely seemed larger.

She closed her eyes and focused seriously, intensifying the image.

She imagined the vibrations becoming even more intense and the temperature of the flames rising.

Almost immediately, a change occurred.

She had closed her eyes and was so focused that she didn't notice the sudden change, but the temperature of the "fireball" had increased several times over, just ten centimeters above her right hand.

"Ouch... Ah... This is bad. I really burned myself..."

Her right hand was red and had a large blister.

"Waterball!"

She created a "waterball" the size of a basketball with her left hand and plunged her hand into it.

But it didn't cool down at all.

The water was at room temperature.

"I need to cool it somehow."

In a world without freezers, how could she get ice?

She remembered that river water could be cold.

That seemed more practical, but then she had an idea.

"Manipulating thermal energy..."

She looked at the "waterball" where her right hand was submerged.

If she could raise the temperature, could she also lower it?

"......Should I try it?"

She furrowed her brow, hesitating for a moment, but decided to give it a shot.

She pulled her right hand out and stared intently at the ball of water, imagining the atomic vibrations stopping.

In reality, they wouldn't stop completely, but it was just an image.

Her right hand throbbed with pain, but she ignored it and focused her mind.

She imagined applying a sudden brake to the vibrations and visualizing the ball of water turning into a block of ice.

The ball of water gradually turned into a block of ice, visibly freezing.

She was taken aback by the sight.

"Wow... Wow? Seriously?"

She muttered, and her concentration broke, causing the floating block of ice to fall to the ground.

The heavy thud confirmed it was completely frozen.

She hesitated to touch the block of ice that had fallen to the ground.

"It's just frozen water, right...?"

If it was just frozen water, there was no problem.

But what if it was something like dry ice?

Since she had seen the water freeze, it was probably not dry ice.

But what if it wasn't frozen water but solidified hydrogen and oxygen?

Trying to cool a burn with that could lead to a worse situation.

"No, no, no, it's just regular ice. If it were solidified hydrogen or oxygen, it would be vaporizing and steaming. That's ridiculous."

She said this while cautiously moving away from the ice and sprinkling a "water splash" on the block.

There was no visible vaporization.

She poked it with her fingertips, and they didn't stick.

It seemed to be just regular ice.

She had become overly cautious because of the pain, but she wished she had been more cautious before getting hurt.

She gently placed her right hand on the ice, feeling the heat from her hand rapidly cool down.

"Ahhh... It's cooling down..."

She sighed, cursing her own foolishness.

While opening up a new realm of thermal energy manipulation was good, her actions were incredibly stupid.

"I should have known better..."

Even a child would know what would happen if the temperature rose so close.

She felt ashamed of her thoughtless actions.

"Am I really this stupid?"

She didn't realize it until she got hurt.

Since coming to this world, she seemed to be repeating such mistakes.

She had nearly died from heatstroke, fainted from lack of magic, and now she had a burn.

She needed to be more careful.

She felt a sense of dissonance with her actions.

She had always considered herself "conservative and cautious."

She preferred a stable and peaceful life over a life full of ups and downs.

She accepted beneficial changes but took time to consider them.

She wondered if her recent actions were a departure from her usual self.

Her actions since coming to this world seemed too reckless by her usual standards.

"Have I become stupid since coming to this world?"

Being suddenly thrown into this world, some change was inevitable.

Personality is shaped by experiences.

It was impossible for such an unusual experience to have no effect.

But the change was too drastic.

The only explanation was the memories of Mika Noisheim.

"Where are experiences stored? In the brain as memories, of course."

She couldn't be unaffected by the memories of Mika Noisheim.

While Kuhashi Ritsu was the dominant consciousness, Mika Noisheim had blended in, making a clear distinction impossible.

She was now a third existence, Mika Noisheim.

"Ahhh... It's cooling down."

She removed her hand from the ice and gently touched the blister.

A large blister had formed over a wide area.

The burn had penetrated not just the surface but also the inside.

It was not good to stop cooling it just because it felt cold.

She placed her hand back on the ice.

"What should I do...?"

She muttered absentmindedly.

The Kuhashi Ritsu she knew was no longer there.

She felt a tinge of sadness at this realization.

"Well, it can't be helped. I am who I am."

There was no going back.

She had to accept it.

"At least, I should reflect and learn from this for the future."

Kuhashi Ritsu was no longer there.

Mika Noisheim seemed to be quite reckless.

Self-awareness was very important.

If she recognized this, she could consciously be more cautious.

She gently touched the blister and then returned it to the ice.

"What should I do with this?"

Of course, she was talking about the burn.

Burns were troublesome, but the location was the worst.

Her dominant hand, specifically the palm.

To heal, it was best not to move it, but that was impossible for her dominant hand.

The hygiene conditions were also very poor.

While the burn might heal naturally, keeping it clean until then was nearly impossible.

Infection was almost certain.

Given the limited options, there was only one choice.

"Guess I'll have to go to Rady..."

She hung her head in defeat.

The "Laughing Madonna" would heal it quickly, but she would surely ask why.

Should she tell the truth or lie?

She would be scolded either way.

If she mentioned magic, it would definitely be forbidden.

She struggled to decide, holding her head in her hands.

"I want healing, but a magic ban is tough..."

But she didn't want to lie to Rady.

Amelia and Loreta also cared for her deeply.

Feeling such sincere affection made even a small lie feel like a sin, especially since she was already replacing Mika Noisheim.

She wanted healing but didn't want to lie.

But she didn't want a magic ban.

Amidst this conflict, a devilish whisper echoed in her mind.

A devilish solution.

(No, no, no. That's not right. That's not acceptable.)

She immediately rejected the idea.

But after thinking for a while, she couldn't come up with any other solution.

(Am I stupid? I just decided to be more cautious.)

She denied it in her mind.

Still, she felt drawn to the devilish whisper.

She scratched her head, trying to shake off the idea.

But she was quickly drawn back to it.

"Ah, damn it! Am I really this reckless?"

She realized she lacked self-control but couldn't stop herself.

"Fine, I'll do it, damn it."

She made up her mind and cursed herself again.

But she wanted to avoid a hasty attempt.

She decided to start with an experiment, maintaining a minimum level of caution.

Natural healing.

Simply put, it's the body's ability to heal itself from illness or injury.

White blood cells attack pathogens, and damaged cells are removed and replaced with healthy ones.

While not all-powerful, it can heal many conditions without medication or treatment.

Could she use magic to enhance this ability?

Since there was a "Healing" spell, it was definitely possible.

The only question was whether she could do it.

She pulled a weed from the ground by its stem.

She brought the broken parts close enough to touch and sent magic to them.

She focused on cell activation, removing damaged cells, and promoting the division of healthy cells to repair the break.

She left the water-conducting tubes to the plant's DNA.

She just needed to promote cell division and imagine the broken parts reconnecting.

Sending too much magic at once could have unpredictable effects.

She sent magic slowly, allowing gradual repair.

After 2-3 minutes, the broken parts seemed to reconnect.

She let go, but the broken part didn't break or fall off.

She pulled it gently, but it didn't break.

"Is it really connected?"

It wasn't visible.

It might look connected but be a mess inside and wither tomorrow.

But it was connected, at least.

"It might not be impossible..."

Experimenting on a single weed was one thing, but using her own body for human experimentation was insane.

But the allure of healing magic was too strong.

Especially after the experiment's success.

"Did the mad scientist in the movie feel this way?"

She thought of a famous movie about a scientist who experimented on himself with matter transportation.

Before the final experiment, he could only imagine failure and looked grim.

Healing magic, in essence, just accelerates metabolism.

Injuries heal faster due to the accelerated metabolism.

It was more realistic than fire or water coming from her hands.

The speed of the acceleration was what made it extraordinary.

"Alright, let's do it."

She pushed the movie's ending from her mind and focused on her task.

"I just need to gather magic in my right hand and imagine the burn healing."

She focused on removing damaged cells and promoting the division of healthy cells to heal the burn from the inside.

It was a natural function of the body, nothing special.

She convinced herself and began the healing process.

She stared at her blistered hand.

She gathered magic and maintained the image of gradual healing.

Slowly, little by little, no rush.

She repeated this to herself, sending magic to her right hand.

A faint bluish light enveloped her right hand, but the "Healing" spell she had seen the young Mika use was a soft yellow light.

(The bluish light is the color of magic itself. Is this different from "Healing"?)

After about 5 minutes, the skin of the blister began to wrinkle.

She broke her concentration and stopped the healing.

When she touched the blister, the skin felt loose.

The fluid inside seemed to have decreased.

"Did it absorb the necessary materials to heal?"

She observed carefully for any other changes.

The pain continued, but nothing visibly wrong happened.

There were no other sensations besides the pain.

She took a few deep breaths and refocused on healing her right hand.

After multiple interruptions and checks, the pain disappeared in less than an hour.

The sensation wasn't completely gone; she could still feel everything except the pain.

The fluid had been absorbed, and the skin on her hand was now loose from her wrist to her fingers.

Honestly, it was quite disgusting.

"Can I peel this skin off?"

Pressing her palm with her fingers caused no pain.

If the healing was complete, there should be new skin underneath.

...Probably.

She carefully broke a small part of the skin.

There was no pain, and nothing else seemed wrong.

After removing all the skin, her hand was back to normal.

Looking at the hand-shaped skin, it reminded her of a snake shedding its skin.

"Haha... Seriously?"

The shock of healing the burn was greater than manifesting water or fire.

"This power is truly incredible."

She was amazed, despite having done it herself.

"By the way, in that movie, the abnormalities didn't appear until later."

Mika thought of this unnecessary detail.