Chapter 9

Today, I said I would post the first and second episodes.

That was a lie.

I'll post the third episode.

Well, I'd like to start the afternoon session of the Magic Sword Course.

Yes, you there! How long are you going to keep manipulating magic inside your body? Seriously, take a break for now. Please.

"Looks like you've had enough practice with manipulating magic inside your body. Let's try controlling it outside your body this time."

"Outside?"

"Yeah. First, let's practice using magic without relying on skills."

"Skills automatically control magic, so it's hard to shape it or control its power the way you want."

"Do you know how the fire in the life magic [Ignition] works when you use it for cooking?"

"Does it turn magic into fire?"

"Roughly, yes. More specifically, it changes magic into a flammable gas and releases it from your fingertips, then ignites it with a flint made of magic."

"Flammable gas? Flint?"

It seems my explanation is hard to understand. Well, that's why I've prepared some things.

"Ah, it's better to show you rather than just explain. Wait a moment."

A picture is worth a thousand words. Let's try to demonstrate it with something other than magic.

I take out a small bottle of oil and some firewood from my bag.

[Oil of Fire Toad]

<Oil stored in the oil sac of a giant toad-type monster that spits fire. It's highly flammable, so keep it away from fire when not in use.>

I bought this from a shop near the Adventurer's Guild that sells monster materials. It cost 4,000 en for 100 ml. That's really expensive.

It's a store that caters to alchemists and pharmacists, who deal with things like Hilda grass and antidote herbs.

They also sell dangerous things like a poison that can paralyze your whole body for about 10 minutes if you apply it to the tip of a needle and stab someone. Apparently, they only sell these to professionals.

This oil is also something you can't buy unless you can prove your identity with an Adventurer's Guild membership card or something similar.

I got off track. So, I'll use this oil to recreate magic.

Let's take two suitable stones from around here.

I smear some oil on the firewood and get ready.

"Think of this oil as flammable gas, the firewood as a sword, and the stones you picked up as flint."

"?? What? What?"

"You'll understand when you see it."

I say this and try to strike the stone in my left hand with the one in my right to create sparks.

Click, click

Mmm, a few sparks are coming out, but it's not igniting properly.

This, this!

Crack! Grind!

Boom!

As soon as the oil ignited, the firewood burst into flames.

"Whoa!? It burns more spectacularly than I thought... I'm scared..."

"! It looks like a burning sword!"

"Ah, yeah. That's right. This was done with tools to make it visible. Do you get the idea?"

"Yeah...! Hikaru is amazing. You show us things we can't understand just by talking about them."

"I wouldn't have to do this if I were better at explaining. Well, the firewood is already burned out. This is impressive..."

This oil is scary! It should be handled more carefully! They shouldn't sell it so easily!

Well, in my original world, gasoline was sold normally, so maybe it's just a close call.

"The life magic [Ignition] is the magic version of what we just did, and the burning sword I was swinging yesterday is the same principle. It's like a life magic with a bit more flair."

"Even though they look completely different, the principle is the same..."

"Let's try it now. It's easier to imagine if you use both hands at first. Oh, and make sure to aim in a direction where there's nothing."

You release flammable magic from one hand and solidify magic in the other to create sparks and ignite it.

I couldn't do it with one hand at first. I can manage it now, but it took some time.

"Keep releasing the burning magic with one hand, and with the other..."

"Yeah, like the flint, solidify the magic to create sparks... Alm, you're releasing too much magic!"

Crack!

Zwoooom!

The moment the ignition sound was heard, a flame ran about 20 meters in front of Alm.

It's like a flamethrower.

No good!

Stop! Stop! Stop by the order of your master!

"Alm!! Stop it right now!!"

"Ah! Fire! Flames!"

Is she panicking and can't figure out how to stop the magic release!?

Damn it! In this case!

Counter with water! No, that won't work, it'll just be like pouring water on a burning stone! And it might cause a steam explosion!

Then, use nitrogen! Change the magic into [Non-flammable Gas] and envelop Alm's hands!

Pshhhhh...

Pshh...

Barely managed to extinguish it. Fortunately, the ground only turned red.

Oh, that was close...!

I used a decent amount of my limited MP to create a large flame, but with Alm's MP, which exceeds three digits, it has this kind of power...!

If she had accidentally aimed it at a person or object... It would probably turn them into charcoal.

"Alm, you released too much magic all at once... Hey!"

"Phew..."

She let out a breath like the air being let out of a balloon and collapsed.

I support her body before she hits the ground. ...Wait, is she unconscious?

Ah, maybe. Check status.

Alm

Condition: Magic Exhaustion + Unconscious

MP (Magic Power): 0/113

Ah, as expected. She used up all her MP.

What should I do with this kid? I remember that when magic is exhausted, you can't wake up for at least 24 hours.

If I let her rest at the inn, I'll probably get strange looks... Well, there's nothing I can do about it.

Wait a minute? I remember someone said that supplying magic can restore consciousness.

Should I try it?

Is it safe?

<Magic supply from Hikaru to Alm during magic manipulation training. It is inferred to be safe to supply.>

Ah, that's it. I remember she was practicing channeling magic through her hands. And the menu is so helpful to tell me this. It's more convenient than just identifying things.

I've confirmed it's safe. Let's do it.

I send magic from my palm to Alm's palm, imagining it spreading throughout her body, and supply it.

...

...

...

Ah, my magic is gone. I used it all up.

I used quite a bit to extinguish the fire earlier.

I check Alm's status.

Alm

Condition: Severe Magic Deficiency + Unconscious

MP (Magic Power): 5/114

Oh, her MP is recovering.

And it increased her maximum MP. It's a silver lining.

"Alm, wake up. Alm!"

"Umm...?"

She woke up, that's good.

"Huh, was I sleeping? What was I doing... Ah, fire, fire!"

"Calm down. The fire is already out, and there's no damage, so don't worry."

(I avoid looking at the burned ground)

"Aa... I'm sorry, I..."

"I should have told you to control the output at first. I'm sorry. Be more careful in the future, okay?"

"Yeah... I got carried away thinking I could finally use a magic sword and overdid it..."

"Yeah, I understand. I also had trouble igniting it at first and almost caused a fire when I released too much. Don't get discouraged. Honestly, I didn't expect Alm's magic to be this powerful, though. Look."

I point to the ground, which is blackened and still smoking about 20 meters away.

"The ground... I did this?"

"Yeah. This is amazing. If I tried to recreate this with a skill, I'd have to level up a lot. It's really incredible power..."

"Incredible..."

Alm? Why do you look a bit happy? I was trying to sound a bit shocked.

"Since your magic is exhausted and I only supplied 5, let's go back for today."

"Exhausted... You supplied it, Hikaru?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, I only held your hand, nothing weird happened."

"Supplying magic from one person to another is supposed to be something only holy jobs like priests and clerics can do. That's amazing."

Holy jobs, you mean. Like the "White Mage" or "Cleric" in a certain popular RPG?

<Holy jobs are jobs that own skills such as healing, support, divine revelation, and holy attribute magic. They are semi-combat roles and have levels.>

That's pretty much what I imagined. The "divine revelation" part is a bit intriguing.

"No, it's not amazing. I think you could probably do it too if you tried. But don't try now because your magic is low."

"I could...? Thanks to Hikaru's guidance...? Yeah, Hikaru is amazing."

"That's not it... You're swaying. Severe magic deficiency is tough, isn't it?"

"Yeah... I feel as tired and dizzy as I did in the forest."

"...There's no choice. Get on my back."

I crouch and turn my back to her.

"Huh?"

"I'll let you ride on my back. It might be embarrassing, but you can't walk to the inn in this state, right?"

"Umm... Okay."

She hesitantly puts her weight on my back.

She's so light. This kid is really slender.

And there's a strange feeling on my hands and back...!

Calm down, me! This is something I have to do! Don't think of it as a perk!

The ghost in my head: "I reported it" is not it!

"Ah, Alm. If you lean too much, you'll hit my back..."

"...Zzz..."

She's already asleep. This kid is so defenseless.

After that, we were looked at with smiles or curious expressions by people we passed in the town, and the inn lady said, "Okay, you two will share a room," or something. Stop it.

Are we going to do this training tomorrow? At least we need to be careful not to run out of magic...

Thank you for reading.