Chapter 14

Thank you for the bookmark.

It has been eight years since I was reincarnated. Hi, I'm Mary Legaria, 8 years old. I've made more friends, and surprisingly, I even got to know a prince.

Of course, I can't just say, "Let's play~♪" to the prince, so I mostly hang out with the other two.

Today, I came to visit one of them, a girl my age.

"Ma~gi~chan! Let's play~♪"

As soon as I got out of the carriage in front of her mansion and said this, Magilka made a very sour face.

"What is that greeting... It sounds so stupid, please stop it."

"Okay, I just wanted to try it once... I won't say it again."

I agreed with her suggestion because I felt embarrassed saying it myself.

She led me to a certain place. The request I had been making to her for a while finally bore fruit.

"This is the study, please don't make a mess."

"Of course, having good friends is the best thing, isn't it?♪"

I gleamed at the mountain of books before me.

To be honest, I was a bookworm. While it was partly due to my hospital life, I was also shocked to find that there were not many books in the Legaria household after my reincarnation.

However, I hadn't really cared much about it because my days were so busy. But recently, as I had more free time, I really wanted to read. When I tried to read the books in my father's study, they were all about swordsmanship, politics, law, and the ecology of monsters—far from the thrilling romances I was hoping for. I was disappointed until Magilka said, "We have a lot of those kinds of books at home," and I jumped at the chance.

"Wow... Heroic tales, legends, biographies, fairy tales... There are so many."

"The Futurika family, as court magicians serving the royal family, investigates the legends and myths of this world and the mysterious phenomena of the past. Therefore, we collect and study books that contain such elements, and the ones we no longer need are placed here."

"Hmm, that's a lot of work."

While I was giving a half-hearted response, I picked up a book of a suitable thickness and started flipping through it.

(The stories of this world... I'm excited to see what they're like.)

And so, I became engrossed in the book.

――――――――――

A few hours later.

"Hey... Don't you think it's time to stop reading? It's a bit rude to be reading books the whole time when you visit a friend's house."

"Yeah, you're right... Ah, Magilka, where's the next volume of this one?"

I closed the book, put it back on the bookshelf, and started looking for the next one.

"Um, it should be... on this shelf, but are you even listening to me!"

(Darn, good timing for a comeback, but I'll let it slide today.)

"Oh, just kidding!♪"

I put my hand to my mouth and made a "Ohoho" gesture, which Magilka looked at with a glare.

"I don't know... Well, let's go out to the garden for tea."

Sighing deeply, Magilka moved, and I followed her.

The seats were set up where the neatly trimmed rose garden could be seen, and the maids had prepared pastries and tea for us.

"Oh, this tea is delicious. It has a deep flavor."

"I'm glad you like it."

After taking a sip of the tea, I shared my thoughts, and this time Magilka gave a half-hearted response. Looking closely, she was reading a book.

"Hey, it's rude to read a book in front of a friend who's enjoying tea."

"Oh, are you implying something?"

"...I'm sorry, I'll be more careful."

I deeply reflected on how rude my behavior had been.

(Because, the stories in this world are often based on historical facts rather than pure imagination, and they're really interesting! They're serious fantasy stories!)

As I fidgeted and looked down, Magilka closed her book with a snap and chuckled. It was a mischievous smile that didn't suit her intellectual beauty.

"By the way, what book is that? It feels different from the ones in the study."

The book Magilka held was older and more worn out than the neatly bound books in the study, with pages that looked like they might fall out at any moment.

"Oh, this is a magic book."

"Magic book! That means... it can be used to cast spells!"

Shocked, I couldn't form words properly and approached her with momentum, causing Magilka to lean back a bit.

"Y-Yes, that's right..."

"But didn't you say you couldn't show me that unless we went to school?"

"Hehe~n, we Futurikas are a magical lineage, so we're special, s-p-e-c-i-a-l♪"

Magilka, puffing out her chest proudly, showed off her budding chest, which made me want to roll my eyes.

(Tch... growing unnecessarily.)

"Hey, hey, can I see it a little?"

"What? You won't understand anything even if you look at it."

"It's okay, it's okay! Just a little bit."

Honestly, I had always been very interested in magic but never had the chance to learn it. So, I couldn't help but be excited to encounter something that might allow me to use magic.

"Fine, if you insist."

Reluctantly, Magilka handed me the magic book.

"This book contains various basic attack spells of the second tier. However, you can't use them unless you understand the theory and can clearly visualize them. Even with a teacher, I find it difficult to master them, let alone on your own."

While Magilka was saying something, I was too excited about the possibility of using magic to really listen.

Indeed, the book was filled with complicated theories that I couldn't fully grasp.

However, I understood one spell that involved "shooting magic power like an arrow" and closed the book.

(In other words, it's like the arrows you see in RPGs and anime, right?)

"Yep, I kind of get it."

"Wh-What! How can you understand it so quickly!"

I raised my hand, visualized what was about to happen, just like in an anime, and spoke with a powerful voice.

"Magic Arrow"

Swish!

As soon as I said it, a semi-transparent arrow shot out from my hand, grazing past Magilka.

"Whoa, sorry! Are you okay?"

"Y-You must be kidding... I only managed to master that recently... and you did it so easily."

"Wow, Miss, you cast a spell right away!"

Tuytte, who had been standing quietly to the side, excitedly spoke to me, while Magilka's face turned pale.

(Well, of course she's shocked; the magic arrow grazed past her. I didn't think I could actually do it.)

"Hey, hey! How did you do that just now!"

Magilka stood up from her chair and approached me.

"Sorry, I said I was sorry, don't be so angry."

"No, that's not it, how did you manage to shoot a magic arrow! Normally, it's impossible to visualize and materialize something as abstract as magic power!"

"Huh? Isn't the Magic Arrow supposed to shoot magic power? Isn't that obvious?"

I gave her a look that said, "Isn't the Magic Arrow in fantasy anime the Magic Arrow?"

"What a bizarre idea... But your words are strangely convincing."

Ignoring the shocked Magilka, I took a step back and had some tea.

(Hmm? Did I do something wrong again? If I think about it, part of the roses in the garden behind us were scattered by the magic. Do I need to compensate for that?)

Fortunately, she didn't seem to notice, so I decided to keep quiet.

(I learned a spell, but it seems dangerous to use it in front of people, especially after seeing Magilka's reaction. At least it doesn't feel uncontrollable like raw power. Okay, I'll practice in secret at home and pretend to play fantasy anime games!)

As a side note, it would be a while before I realized that, thanks to my memories from my past life, I understood the principles, effects, and forms of magic in this world without any hesitation, unlike the residents of this world.

Thank you for reading.