Chapter 44

I will explain magic in a rambling way. I'm a bit worried if I'm explaining it properly. What is an explanation anyway?

"Bel-kun, becoming a magician~ let's begin, let's begin~"

The next morning, in the living room, Misha's paper theater began for the gathered children. After the incident, Serena, who had been on break from the school, and the interested spirits were also present. On the laps of the children sat their respective幻兽, increasing the audience more than usual.

"‘Today, I'll talk about basic magic.’

‘Yes!’

‘Basic magic has no attributes. You can’t do complicated things, but compared to attribute magic, it’s easier. You just need to touch the magical elements with your own magic power and imagine a shape.’

‘Can I do it too?’"

"Of course, you can, you can!"

Will raised a supportive voice to the worried Bel-kun. Basic magic has various forms, and all of them serve as the foundation for higher-level attribute magic. If you deviate from this foundation, even attribute magic becomes more difficult.

"‘There are several representative forms. Let’s start by learning them.’”

The maid explained and introduced basic magic to Bel-kun.

Shield type... Difficulty, low. Barrier or defensive wall. The most basic of basics.

Arrow type... Difficulty, low. Basic long-range magic.

Enchant type... Difficulty, medium. Enhances the performance of weapons, etc.

Bullet type... Difficulty, medium. Suitable for rapid fire or scatter shots, long-range magic.

Hold type... Difficulty, high. Can be easily torn apart if not strong enough.

Boost type... Difficulty, high. Body enhancement magic. Difficult to maintain.

"‘The power of basic magic is low, but it’s quick to cast and easy to use without incantation. It’s also good practice for using attribute magic, and the stronger a person is, the better they handle basic magic.’”

In combat, high-power magic isn’t always used. It takes time to cast, costs a lot of magic power, and is difficult to use consecutively. Therefore, even magicians often use intermediate-level attribute magic in combat, which is mostly an extension of basic magic.

"‘Bel-kun, don’t forget your初心 and practice a lot of basic magic.’

‘Yes!’"

The paper theater ended with a motivated Bel-kun holding his wand and practicing basic magic.

When the paper theater ended, the children clapped.

"Will also needs to practice magic!"

"Please wait, Will-sama."

Rin stopped Will, who was about to rush to the garden. Will, whose enthusiasm was dampened, puffed out his cheeks.

"Why not?"

"Will-sama, it’s not over yet."

Misha, who had been reading the paper theater, placed the next one on her lap.

"Bel-kun, becoming a magician~ let’s begin, let’s begin~"

It was a surprising double feature. Wide-eyed Will hurriedly returned to his seat. The sisters and spirits lined up smiled at the sight.

"Welcome back, Will."

"Back, Nee-sama!"

Nina’s smile deepened at Will’s serious response. Confirming that Will was ready to listen, Misha started the paper theater.

"‘This time, I’ll talk about the attributes of magic.’”

The maid explaining to Bel-kun was the same one from the previous paper theater, somewhat resembling Rin. This time, there were many more maids lined up.

"‘The basic attributes are fire, water, earth, and wind... these are the four major attributes. Everyone has one of these as a blessing.’”

A blessing can change during the growth process, but it applies to all living beings. It is said to stabilize with the maturation of the spirit.

"‘In addition to these, there is another blessing that everyone has.’

‘Another one?’"

"Will too?"

Matching Bel-kun’s line, Will quickly asked. Misha nodded with a smile. In fact, Will has all attributes.

"‘Yes. These are the light and dark attributes.’”

The light and dark attributes have some special aspects compared to the four major attributes. The maid in the paper theater explained it simply.

"‘Light attribute... highly effective against undead monsters when used alone, and can also be used for healing magic. When combined with other attributes, it has the characteristic of expanding or transferring magic power.’

‘Dark attribute... when used alone, it affects all living beings and can be used for a variety of status-altering magic. When combined with other attributes, it has the characteristic of concentrating or retaining magic power.’”

These two attributes can easily influence other attributes and can enhance traditional magic when combined.

"Will, I hate ghosts!"

"Okay, okay."

Serena, sitting next to Will, patted him on the head after hearing the explanation of the light attribute.

"‘The light and dark attributes align with the stronger one.’

‘It seems some people have both light and dark attributes as blessings...?’

‘People who are equally good at both light and dark attributes have both blessings. Conversely, some people are very strong in one of them.’

‘Wow...’"

The maid continued, impressed by Bel-kun’s reaction.

"‘The four major attributes also easily influence adjacent attributes, and can be combined with light or dark attributes. This results in higher-level attributes. If you have three blessings, with proper training, you can master higher-level attributes.’”

As Misha turned the page, the maids holding cards for each attribute began explaining the combinations of higher-level attributes.

"‘First, higher-level attributes using the light attribute.

Mist attribute... fire, water, light

Tree attribute... water, earth, light

Lightning attribute... earth, wind, light

Heat attribute... wind, fire, light

Next, higher-level attributes using the dark attribute.

Ice attribute... fire, water, dark

Earth attribute... water, earth, dark

Air attribute... earth, wind, dark

Flame attribute... wind, fire, dark’"

"So many..."

Will exhaled, showing interest. The maid in the paper theater concluded.

"‘The basics are basic magic. Then come the four major attributes and their interactions. After practicing a lot of basic magic, try to use various types of magic. Find the magic that suits you best.’

‘Yes!’”

The paper theater ended with Bel-kun enthusiastically responding and studying attribute magic.

"Nina-sama, Will-sama, did you understand a bit about magic?"

In response to Misha’s question, the two tilted their heads. Serena was learning this in the school, but it was too early to teach the two. The reason Misha read the paper theater in succession was because Will had already mastered attribute magic. It was a forced measure to deepen their knowledge step by step, as Shiro and Cecilia wished.

"‘Sort of...?’"

The two answered together, but they didn’t seem very confident. Misha didn’t expect the children to understand everything at once. This is one of the strengths of paper theater, as it can be read again.

"Simply put, if you can do basic magic well, you can use attribute magic beautifully."

The way of explaining doesn’t matter. If the importance of basic magic is conveyed, the finer details can be understood later. What they need to understand now is that "basic magic is important." If they neglect the basics and learn attribute magic, they won’t be able to use magic powerfully. Everyone agrees that Will shouldn’t neglect the basics just because he can easily master attribute magic.

"Will also wants to use cool magic!"

As Misha intended, Will, inspired by her words, looked up at Serena with shining eyes. Serena responded with a smile.

"Then, practice is the only way!"

"Okay!"

Will, who answered enthusiastically, ran out to the garden this time.

"Come, Serena! With the bow, strike the enemy!"

"‘Ah...’"

Will, still in the momentum of running out, began to chant. A beam of light shot out from Will’s wand, flying to the edge of the garden and destroying a shrub with a "plop" sound.

"Wow..."

Will was stunned by the result of his magic.

"Will-sama..."

Rin’s voice from behind made Will’s body shiver.

"Ah!"

Will ran away.

---

Will was caught. It was inevitable that he would be scolded.

Will loves Rin, but an angry Rin is scary.