Chapter 53

"Hmm... Well, never mind. Then, I'll teach you enchantment. First of all, can you use magic? I mean, the kind of magic that mages use, not alchemy."

"We can't use it."

"I've never tried."

"I don't like attack magic."

She really seems like a female alchemist.

Male alchemists can usually use basic magic.

"It doesn't have to be attack magic. Even the most basic magic, called 'utility magic,' is fine."

There isn't actually a category of magic called 'utility magic.'

It's just a term for very simple spells, like producing a cup of water or a small flame.

"I can produce water. I learned it at school."

"Same here."

"Well, that much..."

Really?

"Show me a bit."

When they said that, the three girls pointed their hands at the ground. Then, a small amount of water shot out from their hands, wetting the ground.

"Phew..."

"I was so moved when I first managed to do this..."

"I remember feeling sick when I overused my magic and ran out of it."

Well, I was also moved at first.

In my previous life, magic was just something in stories, so being able to use it myself was a very happy memory.

"To imagine it, think of infusing the water you produce with magic into a magic stone... like this."

I took a magic stone and began to enchant it. Gradually, the stone changed from black to blue, and in less than ten seconds, I had refined a water stone.

"Wow! Isn't that a bit too fast? The stone turned into a water stone in just a few seconds."

"I prioritized speed to show you. It's an F-rank stone, so it's not something I can sell."

The quality of a water stone is determined by the amount of water it contains.

An F-rank stone can barely fill a bathtub.

There's no rank specified in the request, but for fire prevention, at least an E-rank is needed, and to improve the branch's reputation, a D-rank would be desirable.

"Wow... That's still amazing."

Leonor was impressed.

"Well, that's about it. Try it."

"Will I get soaked if I fail?"

"It won't explode, but it will spray out."

"Hmm... I'll crouch down."

Leonor took off her hat and tried to place it on my head, but she was too short.

I had to bend down, and then Leonor placed her proud triangular hat on my head.

"Stand back a bit."

When Leonor said that, we stepped back and observed.

"Zig, any advice?"

"You'll definitely fail the first time. Try a few times and get the hang of it. Even if you end up in the red, it's fine."

We've made a lot of profit from the previous magic sword and the army's emergency request, so it's no problem to use a few magic stones.

"Got it. I'll show you a dripping beauty."

Leonor said that and began to infuse the magic stone in her hand with magic. The black stone started to turn a faint blue. Then, cracks appeared in the stone.

"Ah, I infused too much magic. Fail—ah!"

Water spurted out from the stone, and Leonor became a dripping beauty.

"Good job. The color changed a bit, right? That's enchantment. Now, adjust the magic so the stone doesn't break and infuse the entire stone with water attributes. Don't worry about the quality; just keep trying."

"Got it..."

Leonor, who had long, dripping blonde hair, took three magic stones from the wooden box and went to Erika and Adel.

"Here. Let's go back to our childhood and play with water."

Leonor handed the stones to the two.

"Shall we?"

"Sure. Let's pretend it's raining today."

The two looked at each other and stared at the magic stones. Just like Leonor, the color of the stones changed slightly, but then cracks appeared.

"Ah!"

Water spurted out from the cracks, drenching the two.

I watched the three girls, who were drenched despite the clear weather, from a distance.

"On the bright side, the color changing means you have talent. Some people can't even change the color."

It's just a matter of practice and getting the hang of it.

"Zig, do you want to get wet too? It's surprisingly comfortable?"

Leonor waved me over.

"I'll make a Tuesday stone over here. Water is a hindrance."

The risk of failure is high with Tuesday stones, so I won't let the three of them try it. They need to learn defensive magic first, which will take a while.

"I really don't want to get wet."

"Probably, right..."

"No, that's not true. Zig is working on his own."

Sorry, Erika.

You're right, the two noble girls don't want to get wet.

"Feel free to go home and change or take a bath whenever you want."

I said that, took out a chair and a wooden box with magic stones, and started working on the Tuesday stones while sitting down. The three girls began their practice, getting drenched like a fountain while making water stones.

"Hey, Helen. Don't I look like a bad man making children work while I slack off?"

This has happened before.

In the forest, I made Erika and Leonor gather materials while I slacked off.

No, I wasn't slacking off; I was keeping watch...

"Don't worry. This time, you look like a guardian watching over children playing with water with a warm gaze."

"Then, that's fine..."

Well, either way, it doesn't look like I'm working.

Thank you for reading.

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