Chapter 5

September 15, 2022

The word “discomfort” is used to describe the feeling of something being out of the ordinary. Something is increased, or decreased, different color, different size, or there is something that should not be there, or there is a smell. Or, when something that was supposed to be there is not there, a sense of discomfort strikes you. It was this sense of discomfort that Pastry felt the moment he entered the room he was led to.

Something was missing. After a while, he realized that there was no windows in the room. In fact, even the door was double-locked and had a heavy metal press, so that if it were not for the room’s interior light, he would not be able to see anything at all.

“Come in .Sit down on that chair.”

As Pastry was about to sit down just as he was told, he noticed that even the chair was strange. The chair was firmly attached to the floor. In addition, it had a metal clasp on it that seemed to be for binding.

A windowless room. A fixed chair. Restraints. The warning alarms are ringing in his head, it was not just a sense of discomfort, but a sense of danger .

In this world, there is the threat of bandits and monsters. You never know when you might be attacked, and it is part of risk managing to have multiple escape routes prepared. Windows are also a method for this purpose, and it is understandable that there must be a very good reason for not having them. However, Pastry could think of no other reason than to make it impossible to escape, like in a prison. The fact that he broke out in a cold sweat is probably due to the fact that he had been in the kitchen for a long time in past life .

“You’ re going to be fine. I’m here with you, so don’t worry.”

What did he think of Pastry, who was unwilling to sit down in the chair? Casserole spoke softly to his son, who sensed that he was trying to ease his mind , finally sat down in the chair.

“Your son is very smart for his age. I suppose that’s why he is so anxious to stay in this room. Even I would feel uneasy if I saw it for the first time. In order to put your mind at ease, I think it would be better to explain everything to him.”

At the priest’s words, Pastry nodded silently. If person is anxious because he doesn’t know anything, it might ease his anxiety if he gets an explanation.

“What you are about to go through is the ceremony of consecration. Do you know that the ceremony is considered as coming-of-age ceremony?”

“Yes, I know.”

That is a superimposed ceremony. There is a reason for this. In the first place, the consecration ceremony is for people qualified to receive magic from God.

“Selection, huh?”

“Yes. There are those who cannot receive the magic even if they wanted to, and there are those who cannot make use of it even if they were given it. That is the beginning of the selection process.”

“So I will be go through the selection .”

His eyes light up when he hears that he will be able to use magic. If he could use magic like his father, he would be able to do much more. His lips curled into a smile at the thought of this dream.

“This ceremony consists of two parts,, however, quite harsh. It is, . It is a ceremony only for those who are coming of age,”

“Harsh, is it?”

“Yes. The first step in performing magic is to obtain a minimum amount of mana, which is like fuel for the use of magic. , but you are born with a certain amount. The first test is to measure this amount of magic power. There is nothing dangerous about this. The issue is the next part. The next test is the one that confronts personal qualifications.”

“personal qualifications?”

Yes. It is said that magic, at the time of its grant, is strongly connected to the qualities of the person. Who you are, what you can do and what you cannot do. What do you like, what do you dislike, what do you try to achieve, and what do you want to avoid When you get right down to it, you have to face yourself with sincerity. That is what this room is using for.

Having been told this, the boy looked around the room once again. The stone walls and the stone floor were illuminated by the light of a small candlestick, which was shimmering and flickering. In the quiet, still room, he suddenly heard the sound of clothes scraping against the floor. The priest was holding something in his hand.

” A stick?”

In the priest’s hand was a small stick-like object. To Pastry, who does not know what it is, it seems to be just a metal rod. It could be called a lump. The candlelight did not illuminate it well, but the luster of the shining light showed a dull shine peculiar to metal. A piece of cloth is placed on the palm of his hand, and the metal rod is placed on top of the cloth. The length is extremely short. It is about the length and thickness of an adult’s index finger. Pastry almost mistook it for an AA battery.

“The first thing we need to do is to measure the amount of magic power. Could you hold this stick?”

Pastry was doubtful, but did as he was told and grabbed the stick. It was a light metal compared to what he had thought was iron or something, and the moment he grasped it, his hand involuntarily swam because it was lighter than he had imagined. It seemed even lighter than the aluminum he remembered from his past life. It felt cool and metallic, but there was something more than that. It was the heat that was being taken from his body. It was a natural feeling since he was holding metal, but he also felt as if something else was being taken away from his body. Hw tried to immediately pull away from the metal rod because of the unexpected feeling, as if he had been hit on the neck with a piece of ice.

“It’s all right, , could you please keep your grip on it?”

The priest speaks in a gentle voice. Since it was said in such a way as if it was a natural thing to do, He just continued to grip it.

“Huh?”

Have you noticed it? If you can recognize it so well, you must be quite sure of it.

The metal rod in the boy’s hand. It seemed to getting heavier and heavier. regardless of the tiredness of his hand .What earlier had been so light that he didn’t even know if he was holding it or not had now become too heavy for him to hold in his hands. It was as if he was forced to hold it like a dumbbell, and that was something that was hard to bear for his small body.

“I’m at my limit,”

As soon as he told that, he re;eased his hand. With a thud, the metal rod fell with a sound that sounded as if it were heavy. The weight of the metal rod was clearly abnormal for a child’s hand to hold. The boy was sweating coldly at the sound that point out that it was heavy. He was glad he had not dropped it on his foot.

The two adults were surprised by the sound. Leaving aside the parental silliness of Baron , who was expressing surprise and joy not only on his face but also all over his body, priest tried to hide his surprise but failed to do so. The priest, who is supposed to be used to putting on a serious face and acting serious by nature of his profession, failed to do so. He must have been even more shocked inside, but he still made an effort to make things right and picked up the metal rod that had fallen. As it was, he brought a scale that he had prepared from somewhere and weighed it.

The metal rod picked up earlier is placed on one side of the scale, which was originally set up so that both plates are suspended in balance. With a clank, the scale lifts its side. Then, on the other side of the raised plate, he places several weights that he had prepared in sequence. When the weight of the heaviest one and all the other ones had been placed, the priest called out to the boy, his cheeks twisted.

“Do any thoughts come to your mind when you hold this stick?”

Upon being asked this question, Pastry said the word that came to his mind.

“The word ‘transcription’ came to mind. , or something like that.”

He did not say that the word ” reincarnation” also came to his mind. He said he remembered feeling as if he had been given a [transcription] of the memories of his previous life. Because he didn’t have enough faith in the priest to say that.

The priest, who nodded his head in understanding after hearing his words, said to him and his father

“Your son seems to be fully qualified for the next test.”

“Of course he is. I am very proud of him.”

The boy’s father, who was so happy as if he was himself, his son was not able to understand what was going on and his head was filled with questions. This expectation was real, but it was also not.

I’m sorry, but lets not wasting time. let’s take the next test.

Pastry was fixed to the chair in a matter of seconds. If expressing it correctly, it was done so quickly that there was no time for an resist . The skillful technique, which must have been used to restrain hundreds of people, made him break out in a cold sweat in more ways than one. Something incredibly bitter was poured into his mouth, and he coughed involuntarily.

“What the hell?!”

‘I hope you’re all right. Now we are ready to start.”

The priest’s grinning face made Pastry think that this man was definitely a sadist.

“So, what are you going to make me do now?”

He asked, literally unable to move his hands or feet, so he just moved his mouth. If there were any shorties here, this would be a sight that would make his nose bleed . After all, a handsome boy of only one-digit age was writhing in obvious restraints. he only hope that the priest is not like that. He prayed to Buddha and the 8 million other gods and goddesses, because he knew that if he will pray , priest would be pleased.

He was anxious about what would happen to him, but the answer he got was surprising.

I will not do it,”

◇◇◇◇◇

The wind runs through the fields. It runs straight through the field, which has become completely farm-like in the past few years.

The wind passes through the field and hits a man. The man notices a cool breeze brushing his cheeks as autumn comes to an end, and he gets up from the ground. The man turns his head and sees a girl approaching him. In her hands were wooden buckets as tall as her face, and she was walking slowly, looking very weighted .

” My lady!”

The man rushed toward her, his voice filled with surprise. At the noise, several people around him noticed the approaching girl. The girl smiled at the man who ran toward her and put down the bucket in her hand.

“It was so heavy.”

“My lady, what brings you here?”

“I wanted to ask you something. Oh, it’s a good opportunity for everyone to eat together. It’s the end of the season, and the food is not too much.”

The one called ” lady ” is the sister of Pastry. She is the fifth daughter of the Baron Mortain. also known José, she is Josephine-Mille-Morteln. She seems to have gone out of her way to bring the water melon herself, when she could have asked a maid or a manservant to carry it for her. There were several small, irregularly shaped and malformed melons lying in the bucket.

“We are grateful for it . Hey, guys, the lady is giving us a melon . We’ll take a break now.”

“Thank you, My Lady.”

At a glance, there were less than ten faces that responded to his voice. The melon, which must have been brought in good numbers. The yellowish ones were sold out in no time. Even though the weather has become chilly, farm work is still difficult work. On a fine day, working hard makes one sweat, and one’s throat dries up. The water in the melon is a great treat for a dehydrated body, so it is no surprise that it is so popular.

The workers sat down in the field and began to take bites of the melon. Some distance away, José sits using an empty bucket as a seat, and Sheitz sits down beside her.

So, my lady, what is it you want to ask me?”

Since she went out of her way to ask him question, it must be something of great importance. It seems that Sheitz was not the only one who thought of this, and the people who were busy with their work intentionally moved to a different place.

Perhaps because of this, the girl did not want to speak up with a question. When he was getting impatient, Josephine finally began to talk.

“Well, I was wondering if you could tell me about the consecration ceremony……”

“Oh, you mean the one that the boy is currently taking?”

The girl’s face was a little bit blank, and Sheitz realized her feelings vaguely.

“Are you anxious?”

The girl’s body twitched at the man’s words. It is an excellent sign that the suggestion was true.

“I was told I didn’t have much magic power at the test , so I couldn’t take the second part of the ceremony. Hey, you know what kind of things they do in the second part . If I won’t know what they do, I’ll be nervous. So tell me what they are doing . There’s no danger, right?　My brother will come back, right?”

The boy is beloved, Sheitz couldn’t help but chuckle. Of course, this is not the kind of face to make in front of a lord’s daughter ,when she is seriously asking for answer . Therefore, he nodded with an eagle eyes with the intention.

“Yes, it’s going to be all right. The boy will be fine.”

“It’s true ?”

“Have I ever lied to you, young lady?”

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment at the man’s words. , but her smile quickly returned and she shook her head.

“No, Neither father nor you have ever lied to me.”

“I know. He will be fine.”

“All right, I’ll be waiting for him.”

The conversation was over. That’s when Sheitz decided to go back to his work.

“But you two are keeping something important from me, aren’t you?”

The one who twitched was Sheitz this time. The man realized that he had been tricked when he caught sight of José, who had a look of wonder on her face. And she was acting the part of a weak girl, but he thought to himself that t she was getting better every year. It was that man. No, he can’t help but feel that mother and daughter have a connection with each other. he lied down one more and sat down on the ground again, thinking that it would be impossible to fool hell with that. The girl smiles with satisfaction at the success of her plan, .

Hey, Sheitz. Tell me about the second part of the ceremony . I just want to know what my brother is up to.”

“I don’t mind. It’s just, my lady.”

“Hmm?”

Why are you asking about that ? Maybe the boy will finish the first part and come back early.

It is said that the amount of magic power is at birth. There are different theories, but the fact that the amount of magic power does not change after birth is generally considered to be accurate. The number of people who have enough magical power to handle the mysterious power known as “magic” is approximately one in twenty. Even if they had magical power, only one in a thousand would be able to use magic. he was convinced that her brother was one in a thousand, and she wanted to ask him if he could tell her why he was so sure.

“Father trained him swordsmanship every day.”

“Yes, well. So what ?”

“I thought he trained him because he was observant him every day and thought he had potential. Even if that was not the case, he is too young for come of age ceremony For noble family like ours, there must be a disadvantage to be suffered by neglecting tradition with contempt. To avoid that, he could have waited until later, and there must have been a good reason for his rush .”

Shiitz remembered his lord’s words .

“Don’t tell anyone that a band of thieves is approaching. We can only make that public when our defensive preparations are in place. There is a good chance that they will not come to our territory, so there is no need for unnecessary chaos. The government is required to take measures that are neither careless nor excessive. That is why we will digging empty moats under the exuse of clearing the fields .”

Your father favors rationality and pragmatism over tradition and common sense. Besides, he would not like to waste his time, and you would not stop him. There is only one practical benefit of the ceremony that he would want to have even if he had to bear the stigma of disregarding . So I’m sure boy will come back with the magic power.”

Sheitz wondered why the girl in front of him had been born a female, and he truly felt that it was a pity.

The first married couples were wise, but the youngest sister was a cut above the rest.

But even so, she was still a bit inferior to her younger sibling.

I’m sure I’m not wrong for the most part, but that doesn’t mean that I’m completely right”

“Why, then? Does it have something to do with the test?”

“Yes. I remember the second test in the first place. That’s a pretty tough test.”

“Is that so?”

“Not physically, but mentally, it’s very hard. First of all, they prevented

you from moving body.”

As the girl sat back down with a curious look on her face, Sheitz told her about the test in an contained manner. Before she knew it, the others around were back to their work. Therefore, the story was told without anyone else hearing it.

“They make you drink some kind of potion or holy water that temporarily boosts your magical power. It tastes awful.”

“Hmm.”

The name of the drink differs from place to place, but what is called holy water in the royal capital is poison. It is also classified as a deadly poison that can kill if used incorrectly. The drink is forced into the body and activates the body’s magic power temporarily by triggering an antibody reaction in the body. Like bee venom, there is a danger of dying , which is why consecration ceremonies are not held outside of churches. Originally, drinking it up was considered a sign of courage and a passage for adults, but it was later systematized by the church.”

“But that’ s not a big deal”l, he said to José, who was trying to learn about that. “That’s just preparing for a test “ , he said

“After that , they make you go completely blind. It’s a mental crucible.”

“Like putting out the lights, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. It really was dark. person can’t see anything. You can’t move your body, and since they put your ears in, you can’t hear a sound. They leave you alone in the dark without telling you what you”re supposed to do. And they don’t even tell you when it’s over.”

“That…… sounds pretty …… harsh.”

In fact, this is why it is considered dangerous to perform the consecration ceremony. They are left alone in the dark to face themselves. The body is also made to not move, and gradually, the sensation of going up and down becomes more and more dull . At first you feel boredom, and gradually your sense of time becomes numb. One minute seems like an hour, and then you don’t even know if you were sleeping or awake. Perhaps it is due to immersion in the holy water, or perhaps it is the darkness, but hallucinations are appearing, and the past and the present are becoming blurred. Even the slightest pain is becoming more powerful, and even the slightest hunger is becoming unbearable. In the midst of this feeling of melting into one’s environment, or of having one’s , one naturally becomes familiar with what one is, if one wants to have a strong sense of self-identity.

In some cases, it is a dangerous act that can be used for torture or brainwashing, and many are left traumatized afterward. Some even die from blood stasis from the prolonged restraints. Children, who have not even finished developing their self-identity, are especially at danger, as they can lose themselves and lose their minds. Therefore, those who are not eager to obtain magic and rise to the top, even if they are gambling against the odds, or those who have great duties, such as the nobility, avoid the consecration ceremony, keeping it simple. one

“It sounds like a lot of trouble”

“I guess. That’s why people who can use magic are so valuable.”

“But from what I’ve been told, I don’t understand what makes you think that brother can do it. I’m sure there are reason that both you and father think he can learn magic from, right?”

“Well, well, there are some reason , but ……”

“But?”

“It’s hard to put into words, I don’t know how to explain it.”

Sheitz thinks about it. In fact, it is very difficult to put into words some feelings .

“Young lady, lift up your arm a little bit.

“Like this?”

The girl raises her right hand as she is told At first glance, she looks like a new servant asking for permission to speak.

“What power did you use when you raised your hand just now?”

“Hmm …… arm strength?　 I used arms, sides, and the muscles of my hands.

“That’s it. You never know what kind of things are used to move arms, what kind of energy is used to move arms, what kind of thoughts are used to move arms.”

I’d be glad if you used the stomach as fuel to move ,”

Sheitz responded to the joke with a light laugh. She was sure that José and the was still in her early teens and would become more feminine in the future. He was convinced of this, but he did not tell her , probably out of consideration for her feelings.

The second test is the same. It’s difficult to know how to use the magic power that is being activated and how to control what is being moved. So you have to have a clear sense of what you want to do.

“Can he do that?”

“I can’t say that he can do it, it’s just a hunch. I have a gut feeling that “Bo can do it,” though this is just another gut feeling. As I said before, controlling this magic power goes hand in hand with knowing yourself. That is why many children of nobles and knights are magicians. It’s the kind of thing where you train your body and your swordplay from a young age, grasp what you can and can’t do, and become the master of your own self. A boy could do better than a perfect score in that regard, you know?”

“Oh, I see. That’s why father thought he might be able to do it.”

“That’s what I means .”

It seems that Sheitz was not mistaken when he thought that this was the end of the conversation. José stand up from the bucked and lightly patted

her dress to remove the dust.

“ You just have to wait for the boy to learn the magic and his return, young lady.”

“I will. Thank you for telling me. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

It’s all right. The melon was delicious. You’re welcome to bring it again anytime.

“Well, maybe after the winter. It seems that they have already finished growing.”

The man sends off his master’s daughter, with words , “Take care. He has a lot of work to do.

However, Sheitz was hiding something important. The young lady is still a bit naive, he chuckles. It was the boy’s special nature that made him and Casserole want to have Pastry go though the ceremony of consecration.

he hid it from José.

There are three steps in the obtaining of magic. Activation of magic, perception of magic, and manipulation of magic. Among these, it is only in recent years that people have come to rely on medicines and holy water for activation. In the past, it was a much more difficult task.

Perception of magical power is a difficult thing . The magic power in the body is something that everyone has from birth, and it is difficult to feel it first. It is like asking to feel the air in your chest or the steel in your blood. From an average person’s point of view, this part of the process is the most difficult.

The way to manipulate magic power also varies from person to person, and therefore, the magic that person can use varies from person to person. Some can use such magic as instant movement , some far-sighted magic, and some the power to move objects. There is a great variety. It is just like the shape of a cloud, what it looks like is different for each person. It is only natural that each person has a different type of magic.

The boy must be able to handle the most difficult part, the perception of magic power, without difficulty. If he could handle the most difficult part, the rest would be a piece of cake. Sheitz was convinced of this, although it was only hunch.

To perceive something that one has never been aware of before is akin to looking for a mistake in a picture. It takes a lot of luck for ordinary people to find what they are looking for in a picture. If you are shown a landscape painting and told that only one part of it is wrong, there is no way to find it unless you know the real one.

But Pastry intuition tells him that there might be two paintings. It would often show itself in his swordsmanship practice. It is as if he has an answer within himself and is pondering what his movements are in relation to that “right answer.”

The same is true when he is helping to manage the territory. Without any trial and error, he suddenly finds the correct answer from within himself. It is as if he has a correct answer in his mind and suddenly points out the points that are different from it. For now, only his parents and Sheitz are aware of this special nature of the next lord.

“I’m sure the boy will make it.”

The man returned to his work of tinkering with the earth.