Chapter 20 - The Magic Geek Gains a Vision for the Future
Slowly, I circulate my mana. From my solar plexus to my perineum. It creeps up my spine from the sacrum, reaching the [Niwan] at the crown of my head. It passes through my [Philtrum], descends my throat, moves from my chest to the [Suigetsu], and finally returns to my solar plexus once more.
A warm mass of light crawls up my back, then cools into a clear, sharp orb at the top of my head. I swallow it as it passes my nose, drawing it down my throat, into my chest, and to my solar plexus.
There, the mana condenses, regains its heat, and begins its ascent up my spine again. I envision my body as a furnace, circulating and refining my magic power.
Finishing a round of the [Lesser Heavenly Cycle], I unfolded my legs from the [Full Lotus Position] on the bed and took a breath. On the opposite bed, Ruria sat on the edge, still circulating her own mana. I could see a mass of magic with incredible brightness and density moving slowly through her body, and I let out an involuntary groan.
It has been about three years since I started this training at the age of three, practicing it (almost) without fail. My own mana, which was once pitifully weak, has been strengthened to the level of an average person. When I first cast the [Light] spell, I exhausted nearly all my magic power and fainted. Now, I can use it without suffering from nausea or dizziness.
Furthermore, by employing a trick I developed—"absorbing the magic power in my surroundings"—I can even cast [Magic Missile], a spell that requires more mana than [Light], without any issue.
Ruria, however, has enough mana to cast [Magic Missile] eight times in a row and still look completely unfazed. She was born with immense magic power, but by continuing the same training as me, her mana has now become utterly transcendent. She has far surpassed even my grandmother. It is no wonder that at such a young age, she is already being called "The Second Coming of 'The Witch'."
When the haves and the have-nots put in the same amount of effort, the gap between them only widens. It is a cruel reality, but there is no point in complaining about it. One must accept the facts and then figure out what to do. There is no other way. And I already have a plan in mind.
Last night, I performed a ritual described in an ancient scroll passed down in my family and succeeded in the [Evocation] of a Fire Elemental. Unfortunately, an unexpected situation arose during the summoning, which broke my concentration and caused the ritual to fall apart. The Fire Elemental I had so painstakingly called forth vanished almost immediately, making for a rather anticlimactic end.
Who would have thought that summoning it in the backyard would cause the spirit to ignite the grass… I hastily put it out, but the robe I used to beat out the flames was thoroughly scorched. I was glad I had decided to wear the robe over my indoor clothes for the sake of atmosphere.
In any case, thanks to the family scroll, I was able to perform this world's ritual magic for the very first time. And I learned something: unlike magic, ritual magic does not consume mana. At least, for someone like me, whose mana is far inferior by a magic user's standards, the amount consumed during the ritual was negligible.
This was something I had more or less anticipated. After all, mana did not exist in my previous life (or perhaps I just couldn't perceive it), so it stood to reason that performing the same kind of ritual magic from my past life wouldn't consume it. Besides, while magic uses one's own mana to cause supernatural phenomena, ritual magic borrows power from divine spirits and elementals through a ceremony. If the power source is external, then one's own mana should not be necessary.
Until now, the only ritual magic I had performed was [Consecration], and it was honestly difficult to tell if it had succeeded. I mean, of course, I think my short sword and Ruria's chalice have become proper magic weapons. But I have no way to confirm it. If they had a label that read "Fire Short Sword +1" or something, it would be obvious.
This time, however, was different. I evoked a "Fire Elemental" from nothing, and that elemental caused a physical phenomenon—burning the undergrowth. A ritual magic capable of directly affecting this [Assiah]. And it has been all but confirmed that performing it consumes no mana.
In other words, my lack of mana makes me ill-suited to be a magic user, but it poses no obstacle to my goal of becoming a sorcerer. It is a shame I am not suited for the family business, but since I want to be a sorcerer anyway, it is not a problem. Sister Magisa also asked me to promote ritual magic, so from now on, I should probably focus on developing that instead of magic. Yes.
Just as I organized my thoughts, it seemed Ruria had also finished her [Lesser Heavenly Cycle]. I turned to the third person in the room, the one sitting in a chair, and spoke.
"Did you see, Grandmother?"
"Yes, I saw it all very clearly," my grandmother replied, her expression somewhat weary.
After performing the [Evocation] of the "Fire Elemental" late last night, I still managed to wake up at my usual time. Mother Maria was not at the breakfast table. The village chief told me she had been summoned by Grandma early in the morning. A short while later, Grandma arrived at the chief's house with a visibly exhausted Mother Maria in tow. Apparently, she had something to discuss with Ruria and me.
Leaving the drained Mother Maria behind, Grandma led Ruria and me to the guest room we were using. She had the village chief's son bring her a chair, then sat down and let out a soft sigh. I quickly caught Ruria, who was about to sit on her own bed, and made her stand beside me. But Grandma just waved her hand dismissively.
"There is no need to be so formal. We are family, after all."
The moment she finished speaking, Ruria plopped down on her bed. After asking for Grandma's permission, I sat down next to her.
"Now then, Saki, Ruria. I apologize for showing up so suddenly."
"Not at all. We're honored that you would take the trouble to come all this way, Grandmother. Is this about what we discussed yesterday?"
Grandma nodded, her expression stiff, and stated in a solemn voice.
"Saki. What you know could have a tremendous impact not just on this country, but on the entire world. Do you understand that?"
I was honestly taken aback by her words, but I simply nodded in silence. It was true that reviving the lost art of ritual magic would likely have various effects… but was it really such a grand affair? The "revival of the Ancient Magic Kingdom" that Sister Magisa requested was certainly a large-scale story, but frankly, I doubted I could accomplish such a thing even if I spent my entire life on it. As if sensing my thoughts, Grandma shook her head and continued.
"It seems you do not fully grasp the situation. Very well. In any case, we have made a decision. Saki, we will not force you to tell us what you know. In return, however, you must promise me this."
Leaning forward, she looked me straight in the eye and declared in a voice that resonated deep in my gut.
"Whenever you intend to do something new with your knowledge, you must consult either me or Levi. What you know is a wonderful thing, but it also carries more than enough potential to bring misery to those who learn of it. You will burn that into your mind."
Faced with her incredibly serious eyes and voice, I found myself nodding repeatedly.
"Really… Oh, never mind. And yes, you are to consult with us before you try anything dangerous as well. If something were to happen, there are things that even we could not help you with. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Grandmother."
Even as I replied respectfully, my mind was racing. Could it be? Did she find out about the Fire Elemental evocation last night? If so, she might have guessed that I'm hiding my knowledge of ritual magic. Hmm. I felt like I wouldn't mind telling Grandma about it, but the evocation wasn't fully completed, nor had I finished verifying everything. Besides, it's completely different from magic, so I'm not even sure she would understand.
Ah, that's it. I have an idea.
"In that case, Grandmother, there is something I would like to consult with you about right away…"
I will never forget the look on my grandmother's face when she heard those words. It was a haggard expression, so unlike the ever-confident woman I knew, one that seemed to scream, "Give me a break."
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"This is a training method to increase one's magic power?"
"That is correct. Ruria and I perform this training almost every day without fail. As someone who has watched us since we were children, Grandmother, you must be aware of the results."
Ester nodded silently at Saki's words. Saki's magic power, which had been exceptionally weak at birth, had now grown to that of an average person. As for Ruria, she was unprecedented. From the moment she was born, she possessed the greatest amount of mana Ester had ever witnessed. And now, the sheer volume and brilliance of Ruria's mana seemed to have transcended the very bounds of what it meant to be human.
"To think you can forge mana by condensing it and circulating it through your body…" Ester murmured, shaking her head.
The very concept of mana had always been discussed on the hypothetical premise that "such a thing probably exists." It was nothing more than a concept derived from experience, based on the exhaustion felt after using magic and the success or failure of spells. The only reason anyone knew it truly existed was because Ester had been born with the exceedingly rare talent of [Magic Vision].
Even with her ability, Ester had never conceived of manipulating the mana within herself. Saki must have devised this method in his struggle to overcome the reality of his own meager power. Or perhaps, this too was what Saki called a "teaching from the Goddess."
"Since you can see mana, Grandmother, I believe you will be able to master it with ease. Please, do give it a try."
As her grandson offered her an innocent smile, Ester returned his gaze with a weary look.
"What do you intend to do, forcing an old woman like me to undergo such training?"
"In order to determine if this training method is effective for everyone, I humbly thought it best to have those closest to me try it first…"
Ester involuntarily covered her face with her hands and looked to the heavens as Saki answered with a puzzled expression. My goodness, she thought, this boy is trying to spread a method for strengthening magic power.
Until now, it was believed that the amount of mana a person was born with remained almost unchanged throughout their life. This was not a truth proven by research, but merely a matter of common sense derived from experience. What would happen if the knowledge that "mana can be increased through effort" was suddenly introduced to the world? Shock, confusion, frenzy, conflict. A number of unpleasant words flashed through Ester's mind.
This knowledge was something that should be kept a closely guarded secret, perhaps even passed down solely within the family. It was a technique that would create a world of difference between those who knew it and those who did not. What could possibly be gained by spreading it to everyone?
No, Ester reconsidered. The image of Saki summoning the "Fire Elemental" surfaced in her thoughts.
For Saki, this was likely no great secret. Even if this knowledge were to spread, he possessed countless other secrets that no one else knew. That was the source of his confidence. And surely, Saki was already thinking about what would come after this training method became widespread.
Ester looked up at the sky and let out a deep sigh. Then, a thought occurred to her. She turned back to Saki and asked.
"What about Ruria? She cannot see mana, can she? If she was able to learn it, then shouldn't others be able to master it as well?"
Perhaps because the conversation had turned to her, Ruria, who had been clinging to Saki, lifted her head. She glanced at Ester for a moment, but quickly seemed to lose interest and began nuzzling her face against Saki's chest again. Is she a cat or something? Ester found herself caught by the out-of-place thought.
"Ah," Saki uttered, a little vacantly. His gaze drifted as he answered with a complicated expression.
"When it comes to magic, I feel it is a mistake to use Ruria as the standard…"
That's right, Ester conceded with a sense of defeat. Saki's own abnormality was pronounced, but this grandniece of hers was something else entirely. Just because Ruria could do it did not mean others could learn it just as easily. And to gauge those individual differences, it was necessary to have a certain number of people try it out.
"Hah… Very well. I suppose I will give this training a try. And listen, do not go teaching this to just anyone. When you return to the capital, you are to teach it only to family first. Understood?"
"Understood. Then shall we begin at once?"
"What?! W-wait a moment. Right now?!"
"As they say, strike while the iron is hot. And I must return to the capital eventually."
Paying no mind to the flustered Ester, Saki began rattling off instructions. And so, his lecture on the [Lesser Heavenly Cycle] for Ester continued until they were called for lunch.
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As expected of Grandma. With a few hours of my personal instruction, she quickly grasped the feeling of moving her mana. Being able to show her the process directly was a huge help as well.
Since no one other than Grandma and I can see mana, it might not be so easy to teach others. As she suggested, I should probably teach my father, Levi, and my mother, Sarah, first and see how they respond. As for Mother Maria… I have a feeling she wouldn't take it seriously. Well, that's up to her.
For now, I'll start by spreading magic-related techniques to those around me. Ritual magic is so completely different from magic that I doubt they would accept it easily. Besides, visualization training like the Triple Circle Method is useful for both magic and ritual magic. By spreading my methods among magic users and increasing my number of sympathizers, I can create a situation where disclosing information about ritual magic becomes possible.
Why share my knowledge of ritual magic? Part of it is because Sister Magisa asked me to revive it, but mostly, it's because I want to make things easier on myself. It all comes down to that.
Ritual magic supposedly once flourished in this world, but now it has completely fallen into disuse. Excavating its remnants, researching them, and producing results is far too much for one person to handle alone. The foundation for explosive progress in research is only born when many people contribute and share their respective findings. I want to research ritual magic, not monopolize it.
And those most likely to show interest in ritual magic would surely be other magic users, who also deal in the mystic arts. Therefore, I'll start by increasing my allies among them. I will bait them with the promise of knowledge that other magic users do not possess. It would be a great success if I could eventually conduct research on ritual magic together with the companions I've managed to reel in.
Hmm. I see. A vision for the future, so to speak, is starting to come into focus, however vaguely. I was told to be careful about many things, but I also feel confident that I've managed to drag Grandma over to my side. When I get back to the capital, I'll have to talk with my parents as well.
Two nights later, Nathan, Laz, and the other servants who had been away from the village returned from their errand for Grandma. After staying in the village for two more days to give them a chance to rest, we finally set out on our journey back to our manor in the capital.
I managed to post the nineteenth chapter before the end of the year. Thank you very much for reading my humble work this year. I look forward to your continued support next year.