Chapter 11

Laila, following Helka's instructions, picked up the white stone and gently placed it in the palm of her left hand. It was heavier than an ordinary glass bead but felt cool to the touch, and touching it in the summer would likely be pleasant.

"…What do you think of it when you touch it?"

"It's smooth and cool."

"Is that so? …Then put it back and take the yellow one next."

Helka's eyes widened slightly in surprise, which Laila noticed, but she followed the instructions for now.

The yellow stone had the same texture and was almost the same weight. She then touched the green stone in the middle, followed by the blue stone next to it, and finally rolled the red stone in her hand. At this point, the three of them exchanged glances with serious expressions.

"…What do you think, Lady Laila?"

"It's cold and feels good to touch."

"Is that so? …I see. Put the stone down, please."

When Laila put the red stone back, Verneli returned them to the box.

(…What was that just now?)

It was supposed to be an examination, but all she did was touch the stones in order and give her impressions. She thought it might be some kind of riddle or a pop quiz, so she tried to remember the texture and approximate weight of each stone. Seeing Laila's face, Julius smiled slightly.

"Oh, you don't need to look so serious. About the stones you touched just now… they all felt smooth and cold, right?"

"…Yes. Is there something about that?"

"…This is a variant of a magic power detector, but it contains condensed magic power. It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't received mage training… but we mages have magic power in our bodies from the start, and we use it to release fire, wind, pressure, and other forms of magic."

According to Julius, there is a pure form of magic power in the body, and through training, this pure magic power can be transformed into various attributes and materialized, which is what we call "using magic."

"This magic power is replenished by eating and sleeping, and it is consumed by using magic. For ordinary mages, the consumption of magic power tends to be faster than its replenishment, so they often collapse due to a lack of magic power."

Laila had heard this before. If someone overuses powerful magic or overexerts themselves without rest, the consumption rate can outpace the recovery rate, leading to a state of magic depletion.

(Usually, it just causes dizziness and unsteadiness, but in severe cases, it can lead to a coma or even death…)

Mages in the same country sometimes collapse from magic depletion right in front of her. To be able to respond flexibly in such situations, even non-mages are recommended to learn the basics.

(But Julius just said, "For ordinary mages"…)

When Laila prompted him with her gaze, Julius exchanged a serious look with Verneli and the others, then straightened his posture and clasped his hands on his knees.

"…Yes, for ordinary mages, the tendency is to run out of magic power. But I am the opposite."

"Opposite…"

"I produce more magic power than other people. …So much that it interferes with my daily life."

Julius smiled faintly, but it wasn't a happy smile. It seemed more like a tired, self-deprecating one.

Having too much magic power to the point where it interferes with daily life was something Laila, who was born without any magic power, couldn't even imagine.

"During the day, I can release magic power appropriately through research and other activities, but at night, it becomes difficult to control. So until you came… at night, I would go to the annex, not the bedroom next to this one. It has a special structure. It's made of materials that absorb magic power, so it doesn't break when I release magic, and it's designed to prevent sound from leaking out."

Laila swallowed hard at Julius's matter-of-fact explanation. The bed where they had lain together last night was not where he usually slept.

"…Even if I spent the night in the annex, it was uncomfortable, and I would release magic power uncontrollably, making it impossible to sleep properly. That room has no bedding at all, just a cold floor. I would lie there and release magic power every night. …It's not a pleasant time. I feel short of breath, want to vomit, and tears stream down my face from the pain. The tears dry up almost immediately."

"…What…"

Laila imagined it.

In a cold, empty room, Julius huddled, gasping in pain, scratching his throat, and releasing the excess magic power.

For Julius, night was not a time to rest but a time of pure suffering.

"But when I held you and slept, I didn't suffer from excess magic power, and I didn't destroy the bedding. I slept soundly… and that's because of your special constitution."

"Mine…?"

When Laila muttered in a daze, Helka, who had been silently observing, gently interjected.

"The stones you touched earlier. Each of the five stones contained magic power of varying strengths. Even the white magic stone you touched first should have made an ordinary non-mage feel uncomfortable."

"…R-Really?"

"Yes. …We gradually increased the strength of the magic power. The last red stone was so powerful that it would make me feel nauseous. But you were able to hold the red stone with a cool expression."

Hearing this, Laila understood the reactions of Julius and the others earlier.

(In other words, they were checking if I would be affected by the magic power and collapse when I held the stones…)

They had tested her starting with the stone with the weakest influence, but she had given casual responses like "It's cool" and "It's smooth." It was no wonder they were shocked.

"Most likely, you have a constitution that absorbs and neutralizes pure magic power. It's a very rare and special constitution, with few recorded cases in the Rendia Kingdom."

A special constitution.

Laila blinked and looked down at her palms.

She had realized as a child that she couldn't become a mage.

(But I have a different constitution…?)

"…Is that so?"

"Yes. …Lord Julius, I believe you met Lady Laila at a ball hosted by Lady Isabella, correct?"

"Yes, that's right. …Laila, do you remember? When we bumped into each other on the balcony."

"Y-Yes, of course."

It was a shocking event for Laila in many ways, so it wasn't something she could easily forget.

"Lord Julius, you caught me when I was about to fall… and you proposed, didn't you?"

"…Hearing it now, it sounds very romantic."

Helka sighed, but at the time, Laila felt like a small boat being swept away by a torrent, not at all romantic.