Chapter 10

"Miss Lizbet, how much do you know about magic?"

Without further ado, I began my practical training in magic under Mr. Gil德拉伊德. Considering the danger of my accidental outbursts, we moved to the unnecessarily large garden.

Under the shade of a tree, Mr. Gil德拉伊德 asked me a question, to which I responded with a troubled frown.

"How much, you ask... Well, how much should I know ideally?"

"Hehe, that's a tough one, isn't it? Alright... How about the method of activating magic?"

Mr. Gil德拉伊德, with a wry smile, rephrased his question more specifically. I placed a finger to my lips, feigning deep thought. ...I have read about the activation process in books, but I didn't want to seem too knowledgeable right away.

After nodding thoughtfully, I looked up at Mr. Gil德拉伊德 and spoke hesitantly.

"Well, to manifest magic as a phenomenon, you construct a spell formula, channel magic power into it, and materialize the phenomenon... right?"

Please don't nitpick that it's not a child's explanation. I just condensed a long passage from a book into a simple statement.

To put it simply, magic power is like electricity. You channel this electricity through various devices to achieve the desired result. For example, a refrigerator, TV, fan, or motor. The devices are the spell formulas.

Magic power, on its own, is just energy. You need to interject your will and use a spell formula to shape and materialize it. Without the ability to visualize and control this process, you can't use magic. I don't seem to have any trouble with it, though.

Mr. Gil德拉伊德 seemed surprised by my answer, his emerald eyes widening. Then he smiled and patted my head.

"That's right, you understand well, Miss Lizbet."

"Please, drop the 'Miss,' Mr. Gil德拉伊德."

Yes, it's been bothering me since the start. Being called 'Miss' by someone who looks at me like a little girl is embarrassing. He's still a child himself, so it feels odd to be treated with such respect.

"Just Liz is fine."

"Then I'll call you Gil. I don't really like my full name."

He seemed a bit surprised by my suggestion but asked for a nickname in return. Honestly, 'Gil德拉伊德' is a mouthful, so it's a relief.

"Then, Gil," I tried, and he responded with a soft smile, "Yes, Miss Liz." ...He's a real lady-killer, isn't he? Even though he still uses 'Miss,' it's fine.

"Since you understand the activation process, the next step is practice and control. Shall we start with the practical part?"

"Yes."

Thinking about finally starting the real magic lessons made me smile. I had always wanted to try, but my parents said it was dangerous, and after the touchstone incident, I was even more cautious. Finally, I can do it.

"Let's start with the basics. This is something even a beginner like you can do, Miss Liz."

Gil took out a book and a small cloth bag from under his robe. The book seemed to be a textbook, but what was the small bag for? It was a palm-sized bag, and something was inside. Of course, it was.

Tilting my head, I watched as Gil dropped the small bag into my palm. It made a light jingling sound, and something light landed in my small hand.

"What is this?"

"It's a plant seed. It will bloom into a Reisha flower."

Reisha flowers... Ah, they're Mother's favorite. They have pale pink petals and a shape similar to sweet peas... actually, they're almost exactly like sweet peas. Great, I'm even more motivated now. I was already eager to start.

If I can do this, I'll give it to Mother as a gift. She always takes care of me, and I'm sure she'll be happy.

"Let me demonstrate, and then you can watch and follow the book to practice."

He took a seed from the bag and placed it in his palm for me to see.

Then, suddenly,

Without any preparation, the seed split, a sprout grew, and before I knew it, a bud had formed. Right in front of my eyes, the bud bloomed into a beautiful pale pink flower.

"..."

"How was that?"

"It's amazing... but can you explain it?"

I was so surprised I couldn't say anything. The flower just bloomed out of nowhere.

It was indeed impressive, but as a tutor, he should explain the theory. Without understanding the assumptions, I can't reproduce it, no matter how many textbooks there are.

"Didn't you understand by watching?"

Gil looked at me with a puzzled expression, and I sighed inwardly, trying not to let him notice.

Did they pick the wrong person? He's definitely a genius who learns by intuition. He's not very good at teaching. They must have chosen him based on his ability and personality.

"Ah, right... Could you look at the magic book first?"

Noticing my twitching cheek, he quickly flipped through the magic book and showed me a page.

'Green Sum'

'A magic to promote plant growth. Its effectiveness depends on the caster's magic power.'

I couldn't comment on the English name, but I thought it was appropriate. It's for people who grow plants and love nature.

But that's not what I wanted to know. I can see the effect, but I want to know the process of activation. What spell formula creates this effect?

"That was the magic I used. The spell formula is... here."

He seemed to understand what I meant and pointed to a magic circle on the next page.

"Touch this and memorize the wave of magic power. Memorize the shape of the spell formula and construct it within your body."

Finally, he said something like a teacher. I followed his instructions and traced the lines of the magic circle with my finger.

The lines were written in a yellowish-brown color, indicating earth attributes. It makes sense since it's a magic related to plants and the earth.

As I slowly traced the lines with my fingertips, I could vaguely feel the shape of the spell formula being imprinted inside me. This is the spell formula.

"Did you memorize the feeling? Now, channel your magic power into the spell formula. The key is visualization, how you want to materialize it, Miss Liz."

"Materialize..."

"Yes, how you want it to happen."

He whispered to me and dropped a seed from the bag into my palm.

"Now, infuse it with magic. What do you want to do with this seed, Miss Liz?"

...I want to.

I want to make Mother's favorite flowers bloom in abundance.

With that resolve, I channeled the magic power flowing through my body into the seed in my palm. I intensified the flow, condensing the excess power through the spell formula to match my visualization.

My palm glowed. The blinding light filled my vision. ...The reaction was different from Gil's.

"...This is..."

When the light faded, what was in my palm... was not one but many more seeds.

"..."

"They multiplied."

I couldn't understand.

"...Miss Liz, did you use the magic?"

"That was my intention."

"...Why did they multiply?"

I want to know too. I just followed the instructions and infused the magic power...

I tried again, but the result was the same. By the fourth attempt, my eyes were looking far away.

...If this keeps happening, I'm worried about the future. It seems I have a long and difficult journey ahead.

(Note: The term "magic circle" has been corrected to "magic array" in the final version.)