CH 13

“Okay, so let’s talk about magic.”

“Yes!”

“Doki-Doki”

“Waku-Waku ……”

(T/N: Doki-Doki means the heart beating fast in anticipation or excitement, and Waku-Waku means is the same for Doki-Doki meaning he/she is excited.)

After a short break from the conversation with Mom, we sat down on a log outside to listen to Verna-sam in front of us and responded cheerfully.

“…… I want this …… and this too …… but I need money …… and if I sell the medicine, I can get the money back …… Delaide’s entrance fee for the academy just needed a little more ……”

Mom could be seen mumbling and scavenging in a nearby area where the medicinal herbs were being grown, and as a son, I was grateful. It wasn’t my imagination that my parents’ side dishes had been decreasing lately; they seemed to be saving them.

In three more years, my brother will be ten years old, old enough to enter the academy, so I think she’s planning ahead. It was probably a good thing that I met with Verna-san, because I think she might be able to take it easier, depending on how the medicine is prepared. 

While looking at my mom with these thoughts, I listened to what Verna-san had to say.

“Well, magic requires magical power, but everyone has this power. That’s why everyone can use it, so don’t worry. But there’s one thing you need to know, so listen carefully.”

“Yes.”

When I nodded, her mouth moved with a smile and she began to talk about the precautions. It’s also easy for us to understand.

“The amount of magic power each person has is different. When you run, you get tired, right?　But when you run to the same place, some people get tired and some people don’t. The same is true for magic power. So if you use more magic than you have, you will get tired, and if you are not careful, you will faint. So shoot a few simple spells and see how much magic power you have.”

She said that magic power is similar to physical strength. If you push too hard, you’ll pass out …… is what she’s trying to say, but I feel like if I’m not careful, my life could be in danger …… I realized that I had unconsciously clenched my hand and straightened my posture.

“The next thing is the type of magic. I’m good at offensive magic, but there’s also auxiliary magic to improve physical abilities, recovery magic to heal wounds, and basic life magic.”

“What else do you mean by ‘basic’?”

I raised my hand and asked her, and she opened her mouth in a kind of ‘oh’ and patted me on the head.

“You’re so clever, Lars. Yes, there’s something else! There is ancient magic that can make you disappear and fly!”

“Ancient magic? There is such a thing!”

My brother had already learned a lot about magic from books, and of course, I had read the books, so I knew the basic explanation. So it’s not surprising that my brother was surprised. I was also surprised because I had never seen any description of ancient magic before.

“Ancient magic …… what kind of stuff is that?”

“Hmm, I don’t know if I can teach you right now. You have to learn basic magic first, and ancient magic probably takes years before you can use it.”

“Do you need any special skills or something –?”

Nord copies me by raising his hand and asks, then Verna-san shakes her head.

“It’s not like magic doesn’t require any special skills. I have the skill of [amplifying magic power], but it doesn’t matter. If you have a knowledge-based skill like [Magic Efficiency], it might be faster.”

I see …… Magic is not a special position, so anyone can use it, but the more difficult ones are easier to learn if you have the skills, but if you don’t, it will take years to learn. 

“Do you know how long it takes?”

“It depends on the person …… Some people didn’t learn ancient magic until they were forty or so, you know? So let’s do the basics for now, okay. *Humming*”

As if talking to a small child …… no, she is happily preparing some kind of stick for us to hold while humming to us small children. It has a glass ball on it that is about the size of the tip of your thumb.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a stick that looks like a wand. If you use it to swing, you can activate it even if you have little magic power. Let’s give it a try, okay. ”

“Oh!”

Then Verna-san used magic and small flames came out of the end of the stick. Nord stood up from the log and clapped his hands, which made me smile.

“Come on, give it a try.”

” ” “Yes!” ” “

We replied cheerfully, and each of us waved our sticks and used our magic.

“Fire!”

“Fireeeee”

“Fire.”

There was a puff of smoke coming out of the end of the stick, but no fire at all. Seeing this, Verna-san smiled, put her hand on her cheek, and opened her mouth.

“It’s not easy, is it? Let’s see, when you use “Fire, fire”, I think It’s better if you think about what kind of fire you want? “

“Hmm, that’s difficult.”

“Good luck, Delaide-kun.”

“So the image is important ……?”

And then, a few more hours…

“Fireeeeeeee!”

“F-Fuaahhhhh …… Hah …… Hah ……”

“Fuh …… !”

All three of us were already at the limit of our strength and were shouting in desperation. But then, boom! The fire lit up from my stick.

“Oh, ohhhhh! It came out! It just came out!”

“Lars-kun, that was amazing!”

Nord took my hand and jumped up and down to show his congratulations. To be honest, I was under the impression that I had finally gotten it, and I didn’t expect to struggle as much as I did ……　

“Oh, Lars-kun’s came out, huh! So, Isn’t it difficult? But it’s useful to be able to use magic, and if you learn it, you’ll be able to do many things, so let’s work hard! But don’t shoot at people or use it on animals as a prank, okay? If you do that, it will come back to you one day!”

“Yeah. I don’t want my brother or Nord to get burned.”

“That’s right …… I’d be scared if I thought that.”

When my brother said he was worried, Verna-san laughed and patted us on the head.

“It’s important to have that kind of feeling. It’s the first day, so let’s leave it at that and eat the cake I received.”

“Yes! Next time I’ll start a fire too, I can’t lose to Lars, after all!”

“If it’s brother, you can do it. You’re holding your ground so well.”

“Uhhh ……”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll get to do it soon.”

“Oh, by the way, I think we should call me Verna-sensei now.”

When I said that, Verna-san opened her mouth in a panic.

“What? I’m your teacher?”

“Yes. The way you teach is just like a teacher. You’re a magic teacher. And you don’t stutter anymore!”

“Oh! Don’t get cheeky.”

We escaped from Verna-san’s clutches and were heading back to the house when we bumped into Mom coming out of the cultivation area. She had a lot of herbs in her hands and was looking very happy.

“Oh, are you done? Wow, Verna is really amazing. Can I buy some of these?”

“Oh, really!? I don’t mind it at all, but can you use it?”

“If you don’t have any skills, it’s just a seasoning or a garnish, but this –“

She seemed to be enjoying herself, which was fine.

After that, we all ate cake together and went home.

But unlike usual, after taking a bath, I felt really tired. I wondered if this was the result of consuming magic power.　

The next day, my brother and Nord were able to start a fire, and Verna-san made sweets for us all to celebrate. I heard that it’s not the town Dad always goes to for groceries, but the town at the bottom of the hill that’s closer.

At any rate, we were happy that we could now use magic, and we would spend our new days together.

And then came the first harvest festival for me …… or rather, for our family. I finally found out the mystery that my parents had been hiding from me —

I got a magic teacher! I also got my mom a business partner!

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater] 

“Is this the end of the chapter?”

Right. I’m going to start getting serious next time!

“You say that like you’re getting 10,000 yen!?”