Chapter 7

"Are you talking about the statue of the goddess in the back garden? I think it was already there when I inherited Aura, but is there something wrong with it?"

"Magic power is coming out from the back of the goddess statue's head, isn't it?"

"Magic power? No, I've never heard of that. Can you feel magic power, Haru? You were told you don't have any, right?"

"I don't have magic power, but I can see it. When Sherry uses magic, beautiful golden powder flies from her fingertips."

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

Modal and I exchanged puzzled looks.

"Can't you see the golden powder, Modal?"

"Of course not. I've never heard of being able to see magic power."

At that moment, Victor's voice cut in from behind.

"That's right. There's no one in this world who can see magic power."

"Really?"

"Don't say 'really.' Haru, I want you to try and see if you can see my magic power."

"Sure."

Victor, who had somehow appeared behind me, moved his arm. A thick golden powder flew from his fingertips to the flowers in the vase. One of the cute pink flowers floated up, covered in golden powder, and flew into Victor's hand with a whoosh. The golden powder disappeared.

"I can see it. The golden powder is thicker than Sherry's. Victor, can you do the same thing again?"

Victor moved his arm again. I quickly extended my arm to block the golden powder between Victor and the vase. The powder formed a small whirl in my hand, sparkling, and then disappeared. The flowers in the vase didn't move.

"Huh? You stopped the magic?"

"Keep your voice down. It's already night, so don't shout."

"Haru, one more time!"

Victor used magic several more times, but I blocked it each time, so the flowers didn't move. My right hand, which caught the golden powder multiple times, became warm, and the warmth gradually spread throughout my body.

"Haru, are you okay?"

"Yeah, Haru. Are you alright after blocking a magician's magic?"

"It's fine. Just a bit warm. What happens if someone else blocks magic? I want to see it."

"Eh? Me? No way, that's scary."

I grabbed Modal's wrist, saying, "Come on, just once," and Victor deliberately activated his magic slowly.

"Ouch!"

Modal's arm was pushed back with a pop, and a red mark appeared on his palm.

"If it were stronger, it could have made a hole in your hand or even torn off your arm."

Modal turned pale at Victor's words. I felt bad!

"Then why do I just feel warm?"

Even after I voiced my question, Victor retreated into his own world, ignoring any attempts to talk to him, muttering to himself as he left the room.

♦︎

It was close to midnight. Connie and I were chatting in our shared room.

"Hey, Haru, Victor is so wonderful, isn't he?"

"Really? You like that type?"

"No, I don't mean I like him. He's a magician, after all, and someone like me can't reach him, but his face is so handsome, and his slender body is so nice, and he doesn't act superior to us even though he's a magician."

I sat up in bed, confused.

"I don't really understand. Does it matter if someone is a magician or not when you like them?"

Connie also sat up. Our two beds were against opposite walls, with only a nightstand between them. It was a small but cozy room.

"Oh, right. You're not from this world, are you? I almost forgot."

From there, Connie explained the marriage situation in this country.

In this country, there's a difference not only between nobles and commoners but also between those with and without magic power. All citizens are tested for magic power on their twelfth birthday. There are no known cases of magic power appearing after the age of twelve.

Even if someone is a commoner, they can marry a noble if they have magic power. If a noble family doesn't have any children with magic power, they must bring in a spouse with magic power to continue the family line or return their title to the state.

"Magicians are in high demand, aren't they?"

"Exactly. It's not uncommon for nobles to have multiple mistresses until they have a child with magic power."

"Ugh. The birth rate might go up, but isn't that morally questionable? ...But if this country summoned me, no wonder everyone is disappointed."

"But it must have been tough for you, Haru. If I were suddenly summoned to your world, I wouldn't be able to survive. You're amazing, Haru. You're strong!"

"I might be resilient. I grew up in a somewhat complex environment."

"That's true? Well, let's go to bed. I'm happy as long as you're doing well."

"Thanks, Connie. Good night."

There are people who get excited when they smell someone's misfortune or family troubles, but Connie didn't latch onto the point I accidentally mentioned. I was relieved by her thoughtfulness and kindness. There are mean people, but there are also kind people. That's true in this world too.

Tomorrow is another busy day. I need to get a good night's sleep and work hard. I burrowed under the covers and closed my eyes. Thinking about marriage made me remember my family.

Mom, Dad, are you doing okay? How worried must you be about me? How are my brothers? I hope they're not suffering because of me. I hope this hasn't become a news story.

If only I could let them know I'm safe.