Chapter 20

On that day, the harem was enveloped in a slight tension.

Until now, the enclosed space of the harem had only contained Zenjiro, Queen Aura, and the servants who worked there. Today, for the first time, an outsider would step into this space.

Zenjiro sat deeply in a sofa in one of the harem's rooms, taking deep breaths, the number of which he couldn't count.

(Still, a tutor, huh. I never thought I'd be studying again at this age. Well, I did study even after becoming an adult, but...)

Although Zenjiro had some experience with external work during his time as a salaryman, this was the first time he would be in a position of authority.

He couldn't show the electrical appliances he had brought to outsiders, so this room was a typical one in the harem. The high room temperature, without the benefit of an ice fan, made Zenjiro sweat profusely, and he had been replenishing his fluids with water mixed with brown sugar and salt.

(No honorifics, and don't introduce myself until she does. But, extremely rude words and attitudes are also forbidden. This is tough, really.)

While Zenjiro was recalling the basic responses he had learned from Aura, the moment arrived.

"Excuse me, I have brought Lady Octavia."

"Let her in."

After clearing his throat, Zenjiro said this in a commanding tone he rarely used. For a moment, his old habit as a salaryman made him want to go to the entrance to greet her, but he realized his mistake as he was about to stand up and remained in a standing position from the sofa.

The next moment, the door opened with a creak, and a lady entered the room.

"It is my first pleasure to meet you, Lord Zenjiro. I am Octavia, the wife of Marquis Manuel Marques, the lord of the Marquesate of Carpia. I am honored to have been entrusted with the important task of being your teacher. Though I am unlearned and untalented, I will do my best."

The lady spoke in a soft, pleasant voice and bowed deeply.

(Oh, so even in this country, the virtue of modesty exists.)

Zenjiro, who had read somewhere that modesty doesn't always work in every country on Earth, thought to himself as he tried to sound as dignified as possible.

"Raise your head."

"Yes."

Octavia raised her head with the same fluid motion as when she bowed. Zenjiro looked at Octavia's face.

(Indeed, this is the woman called the 'mirror of the noblewomen' in this country. She certainly deserves the title.)

Words like delicate, pure, and virtuous suddenly came to Zenjiro's mind when he saw Octavia's face. She wasn't very tall; from Zenjiro's perspective, her eye level was about average, so she was probably around 160 cm.

However, her narrow shoulders and straight shoulders made her appear even more delicate and petite than her actual height. Her straight, lustrous black hair and pitch-black eyes, which were rare even among Japanese people, contrasted with her light, cream-colored skin, which was unusual for someone from the south.

Her nose was high, but her facial features were generally shallow, giving her the appearance of a "sun-tanned Japanese person."

Of course, to see such a beautiful woman in modern Japan, one would have to go to a modeling or entertainment agency.

"I am Zenjiro, the husband of Queen Aura. I don't know how long our relationship will last, but I hope we can build a good one."

"Yes, your words are too kind for someone like me."

As Zenjiro read out the lines he had been thinking hard about, Octavia bowed humbly. This conversation with someone he couldn't be too casual with was more tiring than he had expected.

"Then, let's start with your teaching methods. Sit down."

Without thinking, Zenjiro skipped the plan he had prepared in his head the day before and invited Octavia to sit down.

"?, Yes, excuse me."

Octavia, who was momentarily surprised by Zenjiro's words, quickly remembered why she was called here and sat down on the sofa.

After making sure Octavia was seated, Zenjiro slowly returned to his seat on the sofa.

Sitting across from Octavia, Zenjiro listened to her explain how she would teach him about common sense, manners, and magic.

"In other words, you will teach me about history and magic. If my attitude deviates from manners and common sense, you will point it out immediately. Is that correct?"

Zenjiro summarized what he had heard, and Octavia smiled softly in response.

"Yes, common sense and manners are not something that can be easily learned just by being told. Since you already seem to understand the general behavior, I think this approach is the best."

"And from now on, we will have lunch together?"

"Yes, dining is a condensed space of common sense and manners. I believe it is the best way to learn these two things."

Indeed, what she said made sense. Manners are not something that can be learned just by being told; they need to be practiced, corrected, and refined over time. It might take a while, but it could be the best way.

However, the thought of being watched by a teacher of common sense and manners every day during lunch was somewhat exhausting.

At least, it wouldn't be as enjoyable as the time he had spent with Aura over the past few days.

"Understood. If you think it's the best, I have no objections. Arrange it that way."

Zenjiro's words made Octavia smile softly and bow.

"Thank you. By the way, earlier, when I entered, you stood up from the sofa to greet me, didn't you?"

"Ah!"

Caught off guard by the immediate feedback, Zenjiro let out a natural exclamation.

Octavia, being careful not to sound accusatory, said:

"Your courteous response to someone like me is very humbling, but given your position, such an action could make you appear too casual. In principle, you should only stand to greet Queen Aura within the country. Even for foreign royalty, you don't need to be that courteous unless it's the king or the first in line to the throne.

Also, you offered me a seat while standing. This is also an excessive courtesy. While common sense and manners can vary depending on the situation, a more composed response is expected of royalty."

"Understood. I'll be more careful from now on."

Zenjiro nodded, maintaining a composed appearance, but he was sweating profusely inside.

(Oh no, I thought I was being careful, but my old habits from my salaryman days are still showing.)

For a salaryman, it was common sense not to sit down until the guest invited to a business meeting was seated. Correcting a habit once ingrained would be more difficult than he thought.

As if reading Zenjiro's thoughts, Octavia smiled reassuringly and continued in a calm voice.

"Then, let me start by explaining the basics of magic. If you have any questions or unclear points, please feel free to ask. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

"Alright, I look forward to it."

"Lord Zenjiro, the word 'look forward to it'—"

"Ah, right. Um... I permit you to speak. Begin your explanation."

Caught off guard, Zenjiro cleared his throat and corrected himself.

This time, it seemed to be correct, as Octavia bowed slightly and began her explanation in a pleasant voice.

"First, let me explain the basics of magic. Magic can be broadly divided into two types: the 'Four Great Magics,' which can be used by everyone, and 'Bloodline Magic,' which can only be used by those with special bloodlines."

"The Four Great Magics are earth, water, fire, and wind, and Bloodline Magic refers to things like 'Time and Space Magic,' right?"

Interrupting her, Zenjiro asked, but Octavia nodded with a smile, showing no sign of being upset.

"Yes, that's correct. However, except for the fact that 'Bloodline Magic' can only be used by those with specific bloodlines, its fundamental aspects are no different from the Four Great Magics.

The three conditions necessary for casting magic are 'correct pronunciation,' 'correct recognition,' and 'correct amount of magic power.'"

"Pronunciation, recognition, and magic power?"

It sounded like something you might hear in games or books, but he didn't understand the specifics.

Realizing that Zenjiro hadn't fully grasped it, the beautiful tutor began to explain with examples.

"First, magic has its own dedicated language, commonly called 'Magic Language.' Without using this language, magic cannot be cast. Please watch."

Saying this, Octavia extended her right index finger. Then,

"Scattered water in the air, gather at my fingertip and form a sphere. In exchange, I offer eighteen magic points to the water spirit."

The moment these words reached Zenjiro's ears, a transparent water droplet appeared at Octavia's fingertip.

"Wha!?"

Before Zenjiro could react to the phenomenon, his head was pressed down.

(What was that? When Octavia opened her mouth, a very long sentence reached my ears?)

He could swear that Octavia hadn't opened her mouth long enough to read such a long sentence.

Noticing Zenjiro's confusion, Octavia poured the water droplet into the teacup she had just finished drinking from and bowed deeply.

"I apologize, Lord Zenjiro. That was my mistake. Magic Language is a very difficult language where a slight change in intonation, accent, or syllable can change the meaning, but it can also convey a lot of information in a short sound.

Therefore, I forgot that people hearing Magic Language for the first time might feel uncomfortable due to the large amount of information contained in the short sounds. I apologize again. I am truly sorry."

Octavia bowed deeply, her white nape visible.

Zenjiro shook his head lightly in response.

"If what you said is true, it was an inevitable situation when learning magic. While it was indeed your mistake to not explain it first, it's a problem that can be resolved with an apology.

Continue your explanation."

Accepting the apology, Octavia responded humbly.

"Thank you for your understanding. I will be more careful to avoid such incidents in the future."

"Alright."

Zenjiro was puzzled by the noblewoman's exaggerated gratitude but managed to keep his expression neutral and responded calmly.

Indeed, while Octavia's mistake could be called hasty, there was also a sense of pity for her.

In a world where the existence of words with spiritual power is common, few people feel a sense of dissonance between the amount of sound and the amount of information heard. Moreover, those with such sensitive senses that they feel a shock in their head are extremely rare. In that sense, both Octavia and Zenjiro were unlucky.

"Then, let me continue. I cast the 'Water Sphere Creation' magic by pronouncing it correctly, recognizing it correctly, and infusing the correct amount of magic power. Now, I will intentionally make mistakes in the three conditions I mentioned."

Saying this, Octavia extended her right index finger again and chanted a spell.

"Urmguo"

A short, meaningless spell reached Zenjiro's ears, but the spell did not activate.

"Just now, I intentionally mispronounced it slightly. Even a small mistake in pronunciation can prevent the spell from working. Now, I will pronounce it correctly but with the wrong recognition."

Saying this, Octavia opened her mouth slightly and spoke a short phrase as before.

"Scattered water in the air, gather at my fingertip and form a sphere. In exchange, I offer eighteen magic points to the water spirit."

This time, Zenjiro's ears heard a meaningful long sentence as before, but no water droplet appeared at Octavia's fingertip.

"Just now, I pronounced the spell correctly but imagined a different spell in my mind. As you can see, the result is different. Finally, I will pronounce and recognize it correctly but intentionally infuse the wrong amount of magic power."

"Scattered water in the air, gather at my fingertip and form a sphere. In exchange, I offer eighteen magic points to the water spirit."

The 'Water Sphere Creation' spell, cast for the fourth time today, correctly conveyed its meaning to Zenjiro's ears, but again, no effect was produced.

Octavia smiled slightly at Zenjiro's puzzled expression and explained.

"Just now, I said 'eighteen' magic points in Magic Language but intentionally infused 'nineteen' magic points. As a result, the spell failed."

Hearing this, Zenjiro, who had been listening with a certain level of understanding, exclaimed in surprise.

"Wait, too much is also bad?"

Caught off guard, Zenjiro almost forgot to maintain his tone, but Octavia nodded in response.

"Yes, too much or too little will prevent the spell from working. In the case of high-magic-consuming spells, small differences can be overlooked, but the more delicate the spell, the more precise the amount of magic power must be.

Therefore, powerful mages, like myself, often struggle with delicate spells. Of course, there are exceptions, like Chief Court Mage Espiridion."

The explanation made sense. It's like trying to fill a glass to the brim with a 200ml bottle versus a 10-liter tank. The latter is obviously more difficult.

While Zenjiro's rational mind understood Octavia's words, he was still somewhat dazed by the explanation.

Zenjiro had been excited about the prospect of being able to use magic. However, if he, a person with great magic power, was not suited for delicate spells, he might rarely have the opportunity to use magic properly, given that he rarely left the harem.

"So, having great magic power actually makes it harder to learn general magic?"

"Yes, in fact, I've heard that Queen Aura can only use time and space magic and fire-based battlefield spells.

Moreover, such high-level spells not only require a lot of magic power but also have extremely long incantations, so it's not uncommon for it to take more than half a year to master just one."

The more he heard, the farther away Zenjiro's day of using magic seemed.

"Then, to be frank, how long will it take for me to be able to cast a spell from today?"

Without realizing it, Zenjiro had forgotten that the main focus was on learning etiquette and manners and asked Octavia.

Octavia, perceptive of Zenjiro's desires, couldn't lie as a teacher and shrank back, tilting her head in response.

"Well, to accurately infuse magic power, you first need to be aware of your own magic power and be able to control it freely. It usually takes about two years to become aware of your magic power and one year to control it."

"Three years..."

Zenjiro muttered, and Octavia quickly tried to reassure him.

"But, after that, it gets relatively easier. You just need to learn the correct pronunciation, vividly imagine the desired effect, and accurately infuse the magic power. Simple spells can be learned in a day."

Recalling that she had just said that simple spells were unsuitable for someone with great magic power, Octavia's words lost their momentum, and she looked up at Zenjiro apologetically.

Her gaze cooled Zenjiro's head. Thinking about it, he didn't really need to learn magic. It was just a pastime for a royal with great magic power, and it wouldn't be a problem if it took three or five years to learn.

(Anyway, even if I learn magic, it won't be useful in my life.)

At this point, Zenjiro, unaware of the potential of the special magic 'Time and Space Magic' in his bloodline, easily dismissed the possibility of magic.

"Understood. Let's take our time and not rush. Teach me well, Octavia."

"Yes, I will do my best, Lord Zenjiro."

For some reason, the queen's consort, who had recovered in a short time, received a sincere response and a soft smile from the beautiful female tutor.