"Th-then, let's begin the lesson right away! Please!"
Shirayuki-sensei bowed deeply.
Still in my workout clothes, I sat in the white chair at the front row.
First, she would explain what Resonance Magic was.
Shirayuki-sensei looked down at the notebook on the teacher's desk and began speaking.
"Itsuki-kun, do you know what Resonance Magic is?"
Notebook? I tilted my head in curiosity, but it seemed like she had written down the lesson plan there.
In this day and age, it was rare to see someone relying on paper notes.
While pondering that, I also thought about the question she asked.
"Isn't it the magic that can restore people who have turned into Narri?"
Honestly, that was about the extent of my knowledge. Shirayuki-sensei, however, clapped her hands.
"Y-yes! That's correct! You get a gold star!"
Really? A gold star? It almost seemed like she had looked up "just praise them no matter what" on the internet.
Was I overthinking this?
"But, um, that's not the whole picture. Have you ever heard of Sympathetic Magic or Contagion Magic?"
"Magic? Not... sorcery?"
She asked, and I found myself hesitating to respond. Why was she suddenly bringing up sorcery?
I had to answer, though.
Sorcery? That made me think of curses. The first image that popped into my head was a straw doll.
"Yes, sorcery. These are concepts from a Scottish anthropologist, James Frazer. They fall under the category of 'Sympathetic Magic.'"
"Sensei! Question!"
Shirayuki-sensei had suddenly started talking really fast, so I had to stop her.
This could quickly turn into a situation where the only student—me—wouldn't be able to keep up.
Shirayuki-sensei, surprised by my interruption, blinked at me as I asked my question.
"What exactly is Sympathetic Magic?"
"Uh, w-well... Sympathetic Magic is..."
She glanced back at her notebook, flipping through the pages. When she stopped at the third page, her face lit up.
She's so transparent.
"The detailed explanation is in Frazer's book The Golden Bough, but... simply put, it's a type of magic based on sympathy. For example, when you think of a curse, Itsuki-kun, what comes to mind?"
"A straw doll..."
"Sensei! Isn't Resonance incredible? With this, we could make a doll resonate with a monster, destroy the doll from a safe distance, and exorcise the monster!"
"W-well, yes, that's true, but... Resonance isn't quite that versatile."
"...Huh?"
Wait, what?
"For one, not all monsters have a humanoid shape. If they don't, Resonance Magic using a doll won't work. Also, even if they are humanoid, some magical monsters can overwrite the Resonance, making it ineffective."
"Overwrite...?"
"Y-yes. The monster can transfer the Resonance onto a regular person. If we don't realize that and cast the spell, the person could get seriously hurt."
Ah, okay. That made sense.
But... wouldn't we be able to tell when the Resonance had been transferred? Shouldn't a skilled exorcist sense something was off?
Curious, I asked her about that.
"Can't you tell when Resonance is transferred from the monster to a person?"
"With enough training, you can, but if you had the time to train for that, you'd be better off practicing Attribute Change or Aspect Change. Those will make you a stronger exorcist faster. Resonance is that kind of magic."
Shirayuki-sensei looked apologetic as she said this, and I sighed.
Unfortunate. Find adventures at m_v l|e-novelhall.net
I had figured that Resonance was a niche and unpopular magic, but I hadn't realized it had this many drawbacks.
Seeing me deflate, Shirayuki-sensei continued.
"Resonance healing magic is also relatively easy to use without requiring deep knowledge, but it consumes a lot of magic power, so its advantages don't always balance out. It's a pretty unpopular magic... ahaha."
I wasn't sure this was something to laugh about, Sensei.
"B-but! It does have its good points! When a child has turned into Narri after prolonged contact with a monster, only Resonance can save them. The example I showed you earlier used Resonance for attacking, but if you use it kindly, it can save lives."
"I see..."
Nodding, I listened to Shirayuki-sensei's hurried explanation of the good sides of Resonance.
She was right. There are some things that only Resonance can do.
I hated the idea of dying. But just as much, I didn't want my friends or loved ones to die either—even if they were exorcists, a high-risk profession.
In this life, my motto is "strike before you're struck," but I knew there would be situations where offensive skills alone wouldn't solve the problem.
That's why I came here.
Not just to avoid dying—but to make sure no one else dies either.
"So, even though Resonance Magic is unpopular and difficult, do you still want to continue the lessons for the next three days?"
That was probably her way of testing my resolve.
"Yes! Please teach me!"
I nodded firmly.