Chapter 7

"Bel, let's become a magician~ It's the beginning, the beginning~"

The children, seated on the sofa in front of Misha's homemade paper theater, clapped their hands happily.

Recently, Misha's paper theater had become the starting point for magic training, which initially began to make it easier for Will to understand but has now become a source of enjoyment for the children.

Today's story was about the attributes of magic.

Magic is activated by channeling the power of spirits through the magic power inherent in a person.

While one can generally use any attribute with magic power, the difficulty of using magic varies depending on the quality of the magic power and the compatibility with the spirits.

"Bel, do you know how many attributes of magic there are?"

"Huh?"

In the paper theater, Bel is asked by his father, and Will tilts his head just like Bel.

"Tell me, Dad."

"Tell me~"

Serena and Nina smile at Will's urging, which matches the story.

"I see... So that's how it is."

Elis, sitting in a chair a bit away, nodded in understanding.

"Isn't it well done? I was surprised too."

Cecilia smiled as she watched the children enjoying the paper theater.

Misha seems to be happy creating the paper theater because the children enjoy it. She works hard on her creative activities, sparing no time for sleep, while maintaining the quality of her work as a maid during the day.

"The basic four attributes of magic are:

Fire, Water, Earth, Wind.

The opposing attributes are Light and Darkness.

When these combine, you get:

Ice, Fog, Tree, Ground, Sky, Thunder, Heat, Flame.

And the attributes of the Sun, Moon, and Time that encompass all of them...

It is said that there are many spirits for each attribute."

"Wow~"

Will's eyes widened in amazement. His expression, however, was very suspicious, as if he didn't really understand.

"Each person has an attribute they are compatible with, so first, we need to find out which one it is, and then learn various types of magic."

"How do we find out, Dad?"

When Bel asks, the next illustration shows a lantern embedded with colorful stones.

"We use this."

"This...?"

Bel's surprised gaze at the lantern ends the paper theater.

"The Spirit Lantern, huh?"

"The Spirit Lantern?"

Serena's words make Nina and Will tilt their heads in unison.

"It's an artifact... a magical tool. When you channel magic power into it, the stones that match your attributes will light up."

When Serena explained in simple terms the knowledge she gained at the school, the two looked up at her with admiration.

The Spirit Lantern has six colors of stones representing the four major spirits and the opposing spirits, arranged like stained glass in red, blue, yellow, green, white, and purple. Some countries even sell them as works of art due to their beautiful design.

"This is the real thing."

Ren placed the Spirit Lantern on the table in front of the three. It was a handheld lantern, not particularly large, which they had bought at the market earlier.

"It's smaller than the one I saw at the school..."

Serena's honest comment made Cecilia, who had come closer, chuckle.

"I'll let Will use it too."

"Oh..."

Serena understood. The large Spirit Lantern she had seen would be too big for Nina, and Will might get hurt.

"Serena, show Nina and Will an example?"

"Yes!"

When Serena responded, Aika and Mina closed the curtains in the room. The light from outside was blocked, and the room became dim. Serena gripped the handle on the top of the lantern.

The Spirit Lantern is a popular magical tool, often found in ordinary households. It is easy to activate and is often used to observe a child's growth and changes in their aptitude.

Serena had activated the lantern several times before. Nina was probably around the age to start using it, while it might be a bit early for Will, but since he can use magic and it's not harmful, it was fine.

"Hmm..."

Serena quietly focused her mind and channeled magic power into the lantern. The amplified magic power, transmitted through the handle, filled the lantern, emitting a faint white and yellow light.

"It lit up!"

Will, with sparkling eyes, exclaimed happily.

"The white is Light, and the yellow is Earth."

"Wow..."

Nina, listening to Cecilia's explanation, looked at the lantern with great interest. When Serena finished channeling her magic power, the room darkened again.

"Next is Nina's turn."

At Cecilia's urging, Nina switched places with Serena. Cecilia placed her hand on Nina's shoulder, which was slightly tense.

"Relax. Just like when you cast a barrier."

"Yes."

Nina responded to Cecilia's advice and began to channel magic power into the lantern. The lantern then lit up with white and red light.

"White, red..."

Will, peering in, called out the colors.

"Red is Fire, right?"

Nina, looking at the light she had lit, asked, and Cecilia nodded.

"Alright, it's Will's turn?"

"What color will it be?"

Cecilia patted Will's head as he stood in front of the lantern with an excited expression.

"Will, do you know how to light the lantern?"

Honestly, it was unclear how much Will understood about handling magic power. So, it wouldn't be a problem if he couldn't light the lantern. However, Will nodded confidently.

"I watched the ladies."

(He watched...?)

Will's words made Elis, who was watching from a distance, tilt her head. She was caught off guard by his phrasing. As she observed, Will placed his hand on the handle of the lantern. The magic power he channeled into the lantern made it glow with purple and green light.

"I did it~"

Will looked at the lantern he had lit with satisfaction.

"Darkness...?"

Serena tilted her head in confusion. The prevailing theory was that a person's magical aptitude is influenced by their personality, thoughts, and values. Serena, who attended the school, knew this. She found it strange that Will, who was generally bright and cheerful, had an affinity for the Darkness attribute. Tomason chuckled.

"Only at the current stage. A child's aptitude can easily change with a single experience..."

While it is influenced, a person's aptitude is not solely determined by their inner qualities. The Spirit Lantern was created to help people understand their true attributes as they grow and their aptitudes change.

"Hmm..."

Nina poked the lantern, which was glowing purple and green, with interest. Suddenly, the lantern's color changed to white and yellow.

"What, what! What did you do, Will!?"

Nina, surprised, looked up. She wasn't channeling any magic power. Her aptitude was Fire and Light, which Serena had demonstrated earlier. Her sister hadn't touched the lantern either.

As the onlookers were shocked, Will alone laughed happily.

"Will, what is this...?"

"Serena's colors."

When Cecilia asked hesitantly, Will looked up and answered. Then, he turned back to the lantern and channeled magic power again, making it glow red and white.

"Nina's colors."

"What is this...?"

Tomason, who was watching closely, was also speechless with surprise. The lantern's design is such that the magic power channeled into it is drawn to the stones of the attributes it is most compatible with. Normally, it wouldn't be possible to change the glowing stones just by channeling magic power.

Then, Elis, who had been watching silently, walked over to Will.

"Willbel-sama."

"Willna's!"

Will puffed out his cheeks. It seemed he preferred to be called by a nickname by those he was close to. Elis smiled softly and patted Will's head.

"Hehe, then, Will-sama, please light the lantern with your own colors again."

"Hmm..."

Will nodded and made the lantern glow purple and green again. After confirming this, Elis switched places with him.

"Please watch, Will-sama."

"Okay."

Elis, making sure Will was watching the lantern intently, channeled magic power into the handle. The spirit stones reacted, illuminating the room with four colors: white, red, blue, and green.

"Oh... four colors..."

Mina, who was watching, exclaimed in amazement. The more magical aptitudes a person has, the higher their potential as a magician, but the number of such people is inversely proportional. Usually, having two or three aptitudes is considered excellent, and having more than four is rare.

"Wow..."

Will, whose eyes were wide with surprise, was smiled at by Elis.

"Did you see, Will-sama?"

"I saw it."

"Then, please light the lantern with four colors."

"I'll try."

Despite the onlookers thinking it was impossible, Will effortlessly made the lantern glow with four colors.

"Then, please light all the stones."

"Okay."

In response to Elis, Will made all the spirit stones glow. The silence that followed was filled with a sense of awe. Elis then asked:

"Will-sama, can you see the flow of magic power?"

"I can see it."

Elis patted Will's head and looked up. She met Cecilia's worried gaze and smiled.

"Okay, Will-sama. Let go of the lantern."

When Will let go of the lantern, the light in the room went out. Elis signaled to Aika and Mina, who opened the curtains. Will, looking satisfied, wiped the sweat from his forehead. Everyone watched him in a daze.

"Amazing, Will-sama."

"Hehe."

Will smiled happily at Elis's praise.

"Could you explain what this means, Elis?"

When Cecilia asked for an explanation, Elis stopped soothing Will.

"Probably... Will-sama can see the flow of magic power."

It seems that among those with strong magic power, there are occasionally individuals with such abilities. In Will's case, his ability to perceive and reproduce the flow of magic power was highly developed, which led to what happened today. If this was the case, it would explain his rapid learning of magic. For Will, it was simply a matter of seeing the flow of magic and imitating it.

"I know Will doesn't have any ill intentions..."

Cecilia placed her hand on her cheek and sighed. Being excellent is a good thing, but showing such abilities at such a young age was beyond the highest praise for a child, "Very well done."

"I understand your feelings."

Tomason, standing to the side, bowed sympathetically.

"In this situation, all the attendants will carefully and thoroughly guide Will-sama."

With Will's ability to reproduce, he could probably use offensive magic as well, which would be dangerous even to demonstrate.

"Thank you, Tomason. I will do everything I can for Will as well."

Cecilia, showing a commendable attitude as a mother despite her youth, made Tomason smile.

"I will report today's events to Orpheus-sama and do my best as well."

Elis also stood up. Everyone began to move to support Will, who showed magical aptitude at such a young age.

This would lead to Will's further growth.