Chapter 44

Thank you for always watching.

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Today, Tom's pick-up is especially welcome.

We were picked up by a carriage in front of the Magic Guild and are heading back to the mansion.

"I'm... so tired."

I might fall asleep in the carriage.

When I muttered this to myself, Quincy, who was sitting opposite me, laughed.

"Go to sleep. Though, whether you can rest once we get to the mansion is up to you."

I froze at those words.

That's right.

Today, I start my special magic training.

I've always been bad at magic.

This goes back to when I was still under the care of Essex Castle.

Despite Veronica's dedicated instruction, I couldn't use offensive magic.

I apparently have enough magic power; otherwise, I wouldn't even be able to use a guild card.

It's a magical tool that automatically draws magic power when touched.

It seems that people in this world are born with magic power in their bodies.

Offensive magic isn't necessary for everyday life.

I thought it would be useful in unexpected situations, like when monsters attack, but I just couldn't do it.

I would chant the spell and pour in my magic power, but even simple magic wouldn't activate.

I felt bad about it, but I told Veronica that I had learned enough. I didn't want to be a burden forever, so I decided to try to find a way on my own.

After that, I experimented with different ways of chanting and tried various elemental spells in a corner of the castle.

The only type of elemental magic I could use was lightning.

However, the spells I could cast were weak.

At best, they were as powerful as a strong static shock.

When I finally managed to cast a spell, I realized I wasn't cut out for it and gave up.

Even a static shock could be used as a threat, and with some ingenuity, I could use it to start a fire.

There are several special types of magic that are distinguished from ordinary magic.

One of them is spirit magic.

It is said that only those who understand the language of spirits can use spirit magic.

However, to me, who can see the spirits, it looked like they were being bound by spells and forced to lend their power.

When I was at Essex Castle, I once met a user of spirit magic.

It was around the time I was struggling to learn magic.

The man, trying to impress the uncle, started chanting a spell in front of everyone in the castle.

The spell for spirit magic is said to be based on ancient books containing spirit language.

To me, who could understand the language of spirits, the words the man was saying sounded like a random string of words. It seems that the correct translations and proper spells were not passed down to later generations.

However, the man's long chant included the name of an earth spirit and a word that meant command.

The earth spirit present in the area was forcibly pulled to the surface.

Sensing this, the man used an auxiliary spell to create a huge pit in the training ground. If someone tried to do the same with elemental magic, it would take ten mages.

The man was smirking, but to me, it sounded like the earth spirit was screaming in pain, which was unpleasant.

In the end, the uncle didn't hire the man.

The uncle's knights needed to be mobile, and the man's spell was too long.

Still, the man, who wanted to be hired, performed several demonstrations. However, the more he did, the more inconsistent the power became.

The man didn't understand that he was giving commands to the spirits, and the spirits were getting exhausted.

While powerful magic is attractive, handling great power is difficult. Misusing it can be destructive. The uncle kindly but firmly refused to hire the man.

A few days after the man left.

I decided to try using the power of spirits in a corner of the castle.

Instead of binding them, I asked them for help. Please lend me your power.

I asked a cluster of wind spirits I noticed to create a gust of wind.

A sudden gust of wind passed by, and a small vortex formed in front of me. The spirits seemed to be poking the vortex playfully.

At first, it was fine. But as they got more excited, the wind spirits started calling their friends.

The vortex grew larger, and by the time I realized it was getting out of hand, a tornado about three times the height of a person had formed.

I asked them to stop, but the whimsical wind spirits didn't listen.

After some hesitation, I decided to give the wind a direction.

I tried to persuade the wind to go to the deserted forest behind the castle instead of inside.

The tornado, accepting this, rushed into the forest, wreaked havoc for a while, gradually shrank, and eventually dispersed.

Fortunately, only a few trees were knocked down, and no one was hurt, but I shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if I had made a wrong move.

Maybe I was overconfident after seeing that man, thinking I could master spirit magic.

Only now do I understand what the uncle meant when he said that handling power beyond one's control can be destructive.

"Hey, we're here."

"Ouch!"

I woke up to a sudden jolt in my head.

Ah, I must have fallen asleep in the carriage.

Woken up by Quincy's fierce headbutt, I rubbed my throbbing forehead and got out of the carriage.

I changed into lighter clothes and went to the courtyard.

There, Quincy, already fully prepared, was waiting with a smug smile.

"Please take care of me, teacher."

I wonder how Quincy plans to teach me how to defend myself.

He doesn't seem like the type to be a good teacher.

"Uncle Randolph told me you hate magic, right?"

"No, I don't hate it; I'm just bad at it."

Quincy looked like he didn't believe me at all.

"Don't think you can run away now. I'll make sure you don't have the luxury to say such things soon."

"Huh?"

Quincy raised his arm toward the sky. I could feel magic power gathering at his fingertips. As he chanted a spell, the magic power transformed into a mass of water.

"Here's your lesson. Defend yourself!"

With a shout, small droplets of water split off and came at me at high speed.

Right away, this?

Quincy's method seems to be all about practical experience.

I dodged the water by stepping to the sides, but such movements were easily read by Quincy, who focused on my feet.

The water that I dodged pierced the ground, sending up splashes. What kind of water pressure is that?

"See? You can't handle it with just physical skills!"

"But... I said I can't use magic...!"

The water droplets struck my arms and legs mercilessly.

A sharp angle of water shot toward my face.

I managed to twist my body to avoid it, but I lost my balance.

I ended up on my knees.

This way, I can't avoid the next one.

"See, you're in trouble. Do you want to die?"

No way.

Even though I thought that, I couldn't even make a sound.

Looking up, I saw Quincy, who hadn't moved an inch, staring down at me on my knees.

"Move, or you'll die."

Saying this coldly, Quincy launched the remaining water at me.

This is bad. Quincy is really aiming to hit me.

What should I do?

I extended my hand and chanted the only lightning spell I could use. I could feel the magic power gathering in my hand, but the spell didn't activate.

It's going to hit!

Just as I thought that.

The water droplets hit something invisible and splashed to the ground.

"Huh?"

I looked up at Quincy, thinking he had held back.

"What did you do?"

"What, what do you mean?"

Ignoring my question, Quincy started gathering magic power again.

A mass of water the same size as before formed instantly.

"I shouldn't have held back. Here, take this!"

"Whaaat!"

This time, a large water cannon was fired at me.

I'm going to die. If that hits, I'm dead.

I instinctively covered my head with my arms.

However, just like before, the water mass hit the ground with a loud splash, creating a puddle.

Quincy's eyes widened when he saw this.

"Can you nullify magic? You should have said that from the start."

"Nullify...?"

Could it be unconscious? Quincy muttered.

"So, you really are bad at magic?"

"Yes, that's right. I can't use most elemental magic."

For the first time, he listened to me.

Or, he was actually listening to what I was trying to explain earlier.

"Most?"

"Yes, I can use a little lightning magic, but it's weak."

When I said this, Quincy's eyes widened again.

Did I say something wrong?

Quincy glared at me, so I tried to laugh it off, but he glared even more. Scary.

Quincy sighed, stopped glaring, and said in a troubled tone.

"Alright, we'll put magic training on hold for now. First, I'll strengthen your weak body."

"Understood. Thank you."

I bowed to Quincy, screaming inwardly.

Just go to sleep today.

As I watched Quincy head back to the mansion, I sighed.

During today's training, Quincy used words like "kill," but I didn't think he was serious. He probably said it to see my true strength or to get me to take it seriously. I can understand that when I calm down.

But he's fine with hurting me.

This will be the same for the physical training starting tomorrow.

I don't like pain.

While harboring this sweet thought, which would get me yelled at if Quincy heard, I also headed back to the mansion.

2015/01/12 Revised