CH 99

I’ve become friends with Simon and have been practicing magic many times after school. “Friends” is just something I said on my own and Simon didn’t say so himself, but it’s fine. In this way, the two of us practice magic after school, so we should be able to call ourselves friends.

“Lord Simon, have you gained confidence in your magic?” I asked.

We often stay after school to practice magic, but Simon doesn’t think he’s gained confidence in his magic. Every time I ask, the answer I get is the same:

“Haah… far from gaining confidence, Lady Flora, training with you just makes it even worse…”

It’s always like this. Goodness, it makes no sense at all. Even though Simon is clumsy, he can use magic as it is. He also taught me how to use chants. With this, my original plan should have gone well. Despite this, Simon says that no matter how much time passes, he still has no confidence in his skills.

“It’s not like you can see gods or spirits, you just chant and inject your magical power, right, Lord Simon?” I asked.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Simon said.

I don’t know if it’s because Simon doesn’t seem to be very good at magic, or if everyone else is the same, but people in this world can’t actually see and feel gods and spirits as I originally thought. It seems that there is no such thing. It seems that chanting is just using the same formula creation and magical power injection I use.

If that’s okay with them, nothing is difficult. All you have to do is chant it and put your magical power into the spell. It’s just a chant that always develops the formula on its own.

Activating magic by chanting also has various advantages and disadvantages. First of all, the merit is that if you use a fixed chant, you can reproduce the same magic no matter who activates it. Since the formula and amount of magical power required are fixed, the exact same spell will be activated no matter who uses it.

And if you use magic with chanting, you don’t need to study magical theories which require specialized knowledge. If you intend to spread it widely, chanting magic will be much easier to propagate. No, I guess it’s because people in the past developed chants that can exert the same effect without the need to study magical theory for it to be spread widely.

As long as you don’t make a mistake in chanting, you won’t fail to form the spell, which is also an advantage. If you construct the formula on your own, you may make mistakes. If you make a mistake in the formula, naturally the spell cannot be activated properly. With chanting magic, as long as you don’t make a mistake in the recitation, the same formula will always be constructed, so the same spell should keep coming out without error.

Then, if you say that such a wonderful chanting method has no disadvantages, that’s not the case. The disadvantages of chanting magic are the length of time it takes to develop the formula, and the low application and versatility.

If I were to use simple magic, I would have to chant for a long time before using a spell that could be deployed in an instant. It takes a waste of time to activate and it’s full of vulnerabilities. Also, since you have to speak out loud to construct the formula, you can’t use magic in situations where you can’t speak out loud.

And chanting magic has neither applicability nor versatility. The fact that a fixed formula is always completed every time means that you can’t change the size of the Fireball, or extend the duration of the Fireball. Also, the chanting is very strict and it is not something that can be easily changed.

For example, with my formulaic magic, I can rewrite various parts on the spot as I please. If the rewriting is wrong, the spell may misfire, or in the worst case, it may explode, but if the rewriting is perfect, any spell can be modified.

In comparison, chanting magic isn’t just a list of words, it’s all related to each other to build the formula, so it’s not as simple as changing just a part of the wording and its effect enacting immediately. Because I changed a word, it became conflicted with the others, and when I tried to fix the conflicted part, it cause another conflict with an entirely different part… and in the end, I had to recompose the chant from scratch. 1

I think that Christoph activates magic with a few keywords because he is taking the best of formulaic magic and chanting magic. He constructs the spells on his own only where he can build them on his own or where he wants to leave room for rewriting, and chants only the fixed and best parts each time. By doing this, he is able to activate magic that is difficult to fail, reliably every time he needs it, in the shortest possible time, while maintaining its application and versatility.

I’ve only been taught chanting magic here, but I think Christoph’s application is quite practical. I’ve already gotten used to constructing all the formulas on my own, but it’s very rational if you want to activate magic in a short time without making mistakes as much as possible during battle.

“More importantly, can you show me that chantless spell casting again?” Simon asked.

“Huh… you want to see it again? Well, it’s fine, but…” I said.

He says such words with sparkling eyes like a child begging for a toy. When I asked Simon to teach me how to chant, he told me I already had used a spell in class, so I had no choice but to teach him that I was spell casting by constructing the formulas myself. Since then, Simon has called my technique “chantless spell casting” and often wanted to see it.

I’ve shown it many times so far, but he wants to see it again today. Simon himself is working hard to be able to use magic formulas, but if he wants to build his own formulas, he must have an understanding of magical theory. It’s not so easy to be able to use it overnight.

I had a lot of trouble teaching Louisa formulaic magic. I had to teach mathematics and even pseudo-scientific things. From there, it’s finally the starting line, so I have to study magical theory after preparing the prerequisites.

“Please don’t say anything about me using this magic,” I said.

“I already know that,” Simon said.

I’ve decided to tell Simon to be sure, but this must be a secret. There is a section where the magic teacher found out even during class. They didn’t say anything at that time, but I think it will affect my grades if I’m the only one using formulaic magic while everyone else is using chant magic. The teacher closed their eyes at that time, so I have to keep this a secret.

Even so…, when I stand in front of my target to use magic, Simon looks at my magic with sparkling eyes. Simon really likes magic. He doesn’t seem to have that much talent, but he still likes what he likes. No, I wonder if he admires it because he doesn’t have much talent. I tried to build a formula while thinking about such things…

“Heh… kuchi…! Ah…”

I sneezed building the formula. It’s fine by itself. The formula construction did not fail either. So what’s the problem? The formula that I’ve constructed by mistake is the one I’m used to when I’m training at home. I was thinking of activating Lighter, but due to my sneezing, I unconsciously constructed a more familiar formula.

GOOH…! The Fire Spear that flew out with a roar hits the target, then—DOHKAA-AHNNNN…! It explodes and shakes the area around the blast zone. The target is not broken or burned. It has disappeared. The area where the target stood was hollowed out and looked like a blast crater.

“N-Now… let’s hurry up and go home, shall we…?” I said.

“Hold up! What did you do just now!? That target has anti-magic defenses!” Simon yelled.

Even though I’m trying to gracefully ignore it, Simon makes a lot of noise. Come on! Play along here! Even if it’s after school, someone will hear the boom and the shaking and come investigate! In the first place, in order to rent the practice field, you have to have formal documentation. We’re not using it without permission, so the teachers should know that we’re here. If you don’t withdraw quickly, you’ll be caught by the teachers…

“Wha-What was that ruckus just now!?”

Ah…it was too late… we were caught by the teacher in charge of magic who came running after noticing something was off, and we ended up being interrogated.

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After being caught by the teacher, we honestly explained the situation, but the teacher didn’t believe me. There’s no way magic can destroy that target in the first place. I was a little annoyed because they were so persistent, and after I recreated the spell in front of the teacher and erased another target from existence, they finally believed me.

After that, we talked for a little while, and finally, we were released and went home separately. It’s no secret to the teachers that Simon and I are friends and often practice magic after school. To rent a practice field, I tell the teacher the names of the people intending to use it, but the students don’t know that information.

I’m obfuscating things with this, so if I get seen when I’m going home with him, everything will be ruined. That’s why we always go home separately after our special training is over.

I’ve been banned from using the training ground for a while, so what should I do from tomorrow…? Lately, after school, I’ve only been doing special magic training with Simon, so when I suddenly don’t have anything to do, I feel like I’ve suddenly got a glut of free time.

Well, I have plans for tomorrow after school, so the actual problem will start the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is when King Wilhelm will finally be able to see me. I’ve been waiting for a long time, but now I can finally ask about the circumstances of House Lingerburg.

I decided to rest today in preparation for tomorrow.

After school today, I’m supposed to go to the royal castle and meet with King Wilhelm. I had told Simon that I had something to do today, and in the first place, the both of us were banned from using the training ground for a while, so we couldn’t do special magic training.

After eating lunch, I wander around the school. I usually talk to Katharina until the last minute, but today I decided to take a walk around the school for a change of pace.

I came to the back of the school building when I was walking aimlessly. Things like flower beds are lined up here and there. It’s not like a courtyard, it’s like the flowerbeds that are often taken care of by gardening clubs in the back of Japanese schools.

A little intrigued, I approach the flower beds. Then there was someone there. I couldn’t move when I saw that female student.

“Alexandra…”

“…”

Alexandra was staring at the flowers blooming in the flower bed. She looks teary-eyed and she’s quietly staring at the flowers. What happened? She looks like she’s about to cry. No, could it be that she’s already been crying for a while…?

“Alexandra? Why are you crying?” I asked.

“-!?”

I just called out to her. She has a blonde drill-curl wig and a bright red dress with a tight skirt. Alexandra looks like a mean villainess, but she has a beautiful and kind heart.

“I told you not to speak to me again!”

“Ah……”

I could see Alexandra’s face as she walked briskly and passed by me as if she was crying.

I don’t remember much since I met Alexandra in the flower bed behind the school building at noon. Did I take the classes properly? And before I knew it, I had come to the royal castle. My memory of riding in a carriage is also vague. Alexandra has always been on my mind.

But I can’t stay in a daze forever. In the first place, I’m going to hear important information about Alexandra. If you forget to ask the important details in a daze, you can’t even get a glimpse of the situation. After regaining my composure, I entered the royal castle.

The receptionist also informed me that I had an appointment to meet King Wilhelm today, so he attended to me immediately once he saw me. It seems that he remembers my face. Remembered not as Floto on his way to the parade ground, but as Flora of House Carruthers. There’s no need to go through the reception room to get to the parade ground, so I don’t meet people who work around here when I’m on the castle’s ground floor.

I thought that I would be allowed to pass through to the audience room, but I was guided deeper and deeper. And the person who guided me from the reception changed on the way. From here onward, another guide will take over. After all, this place marks the line to the inner palace. It is a private space for the royal family, and unauthorized people cannot enter. It means that the first guide does not have the authority or the status needed.

But, huh? Why am I here in the inner palace? I don’t think the King wants to meet me in a private space. The only people who are allowed to enter this kind of area are executives of the country or members of the royal family, other than those servants who work at the inner palace. It’s not a place where just a little girl or a knight can enter even if they’re a blood relative of a margraviate.

Nevertheless, the guide who took over went further and further still. Wilhelm and Dietrich were there when I entered a room that seemed to be my ultimate destination. Why is even Dietrich here…? And this is the King’s private room… It’s not a good place for me to enter.

“It will be as if you’re my daughter here,” Wilhelm. “Please, do not hesitate to enter.”

“Pardon me……” I said.

If you are told to enter, you have no choice but to enter. But… refrain from treating me like this! I’m not going to be your daughter-in-law in the first place!

I want to say that, but from now on, I want to hear information about House Lingerburg. If you can’t get the information you want by picking a fight first, it’s putting the cart before the horse.

After talking about various things for a while… I ended up saying some unnecessary things along the way, but just as I was about to get to the heart of the matter, I heard something shocking.

“House Lingerburg? That House was the one Duke Nassam was entrusted with…” Wilhelm said.

Dietrich nodded, confirming it.“If I remember correctly, they applied for permission to marry recently.”

Aristocrats cannot marry on their own. The King’s permission is required for marriage because it would be troublesome if nobles collude and cause a rebellion. Wait? What? Who? Who’s getting married?

“Wh-Who’s getting married?” I asked.

“Alexandra, daughter of House Lingerburg, is seeking permission to marry and inherit her father’s title,” Dietrich said.

“……………… Huh?”

My head went blank.