Chapter 45 - The Magic Otaku Loses Consciousness
"Hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm~"
Here I was, on the grounds of the Talgum Magic Academy, behind the main school building. This spot was on the opposite side of the dorms from the main gate, with the Great Library and the Guest Hall visible in the distance. I was squatting on the ground, humming a tune.
Now, don't get the wrong idea just because I'm squatting in such a secluded place. Right now, I was holding a trowel-like object in one hand, carefully scraping off the topsoil from the backyard and stuffing it into a leather bag I'd brought.
It might look like something a losing team does at a summer sports tournament, but I felt none of that tragic air. In fact, thinking about what was to come made a smile spread across my face naturally. I'd even started humming without realizing it.
"I wonder what he's planning to do this time."
"I-I don't know, but he looks like he's having fun."
"It's good to know Saki-san has a childish side to him. I feel somewhat relieved."
Roche, Isak, and Lady Elisha were whispering to each other a short distance away, their heads close together. Yeah, you guys, could you stop talking in a voice that's just barely audible to me? And Ruria, Isis, you too, stop staring at me like that. You two at least know why I'm doing this, right?
Just the other day, I had received a little lecture on ritual magic from the disappointing fairy currently perched on Ruria's head. I had been at a loss because I lacked both a ritual space and the proper tools to reproduce the rituals in the Liber Spirituum (Book of Spirits), but according to the self-proclaimed "Magic Fairy" Isis, there was a way around that.
The soil I was gathering now was to make up for those missing parts. With this, I was one step closer to performing a new ritual. As the preparations came together, my excitement meter was only going up. Of course I'd be humming a tune or two.
As I was doing this, I gathered the necessary amount of soil, so I tied the mouth of the bag and stood up. I had borrowed this trowel from the gardeners who manage the academy's trees, so I'd have to return it later. The gardeners were surprised at how knowledgeable I was about gardening and pruning tools, but I was familiar with this kind of work because I used to play with Uncle Dani a lot at our mansion in the capital when I was younger.
Come to think of it, I wonder how Uncle Dani is doing. Ever since I started living at the academy, or rather, since I decided to become a magic user, I feel like I've been growing distant from ordinary, non-magic-using people. A vague sense of loneliness washed over me as I turned to my mischievous friends and announced, "Let's go back to the dorm."
My cheerful mood continued even after I returned to the Gold Dragon Hall. As I was preparing for tomorrow in my room, Isis flew around my head and called out to me.
"Saki-kyun, you're in a good mood. Are you that excited for tomorrow?"
"You bet I am. It's my first Evocation ritual in a while. The last one failed at the very end and the summon returned right away, but this time I'm going to nail it!"
"Eh, Saki-kyun, you have experience with evocation rituals? Was that before you got the Liber Spirituum (Book of Spirits)? That's amazing."
"Well, you know, my family has a scroll that's been passed down for generations. It had the evocation ritual for a 'Fire Elemental' written in it. Though, until I deciphered it, no one could read it, and it was just passed down as an incomprehensible scroll."
"I see. So that means the Arcalai family is a lineage that has continued uninterrupted since the ancient kingdom era. But their magic was lost along the way, and only the scroll was passed down. The passage of time is cruel, isn't it."
"Still, I'm incredibly grateful to my ancestors for protecting the scroll until I could rediscover it."
"Those ancestors of yours probably never imagined that an 'Outsider' would be born among their descendants, though."
My hands froze. Like a tin toy, I slowly turned and looked up to see Isis, her wings spread, hovering motionlessly in the air. But the expression on her face was not her usual mischievous one; it was colored by a gaze that seemed to see through my very soul and an archaic smile.
"…What… are you… talking about?"
A hoarse voice I barely recognized escaped my lips. My mouth was bone dry, and my heart was pounding against my chest like a frantic bell. What is this? What am I reacting to that's making me so surprised? What did she just say?
"An 'Outsider,' also known as a 'Marebito.' One who visits this world with knowledge from a different world. A culture hero or a 'Trickster'—"
As I listened to Isis's singing voice, my heartbeat quickened even more, and the world before me grew dark. It was just like the feeling of losing consciousness due to mana deficiency. In my fading, monochrome vision, only the fairy before me was enveloped in a silver light, shining brightly.
"Surprised? But we've been watching you for a long time. Yes, ever since you first used magic…"
Her words confirmed it. This wasn't Isis right now. I calmed my violently agitated mind and, striving for composure, asked a question.
"…Could it be, the 'Greatly Honored Sister' Magisa? Or… the real Isis?"
"Nuh-uh? I'm the same cute Isis-chan as always, you know?"
Her familiar, carefree voice nearly made me stumble. Isis showed her usual childish smile, then suddenly put on a mature one and continued.
"Well, Magisa is coming out a little stronger right now. Isn't this mysterious Isis-chan lovely too?"
I see. Although they have separate personalities, they are originally the same being. What Sister Magisa knows, Isis also knows, and what Isis sees and hears is transmitted to Sister Magisa. This is bad. My privacy is shrinking even further.
I let out a sigh and spoke to Isis=Magisa.
"As you've guessed, I'm a reincarnator. I was born in a different world from this one, died, and was reborn as Saki Adoni Arcalai with my memories intact. The reason I was able to rediscover the magic of this world is because I knew magic in my previous life. Are you satisfied now?"
"Huh?"
Isis once again tilted her head with a blank, childlike expression. As she stared at me suspiciously, I pressed on.
"The reason I could read the family scroll, the reason I could break the seal on the hidden room in the Great Library, it's all because I knew the answers from the start. Sister Magisa seems to have high hopes for me, but I'm not that great of a person myself. I just happened to be born with the memories of my previous life."
After laying it all out, I finally understood why I had been so shocked when Isis called me an "Outsider." I thought of this knowledge from my past life as a "cheat." And I felt a sense of guilt towards Ruria, my family, and my friends, who were living their lives normally. The reason I had kept my reincarnation a secret from those around me was because somewhere in my heart, I felt inferior about this.
"Hm? Hmmm? I don't know what Saki-kyun is hung up on, but just being an 'Outsider' is an amazing thing, you know? Even I, or rather, Magisa, am meeting one for the first time, and it's probably been about a thousand years since the last case in this world."
To the bewildered Isis, I repeated myself.
"I told you, it was just a coincidence. It's not like I worked hard and succeeded in carrying over my memories from my past life."
"Denying effort is bad, but absolutizing it is even worse."
Isis's words were as clear as an untroubled water's surface, and they echoed quietly, as if to admonish me.
"If you only focus on the process and disregard the result, things will go in the wrong direction. The best thing is to strive correctly and reach the correct conclusion. There's no point in getting hung up on means and methods if it results in tragedy. Like us, a long time ago."
Isis's eyes stared straight at me. I was rendered speechless by her gaze.
"Besides, your knowledge of magic didn't just come to you without any effort, did it? I don't know much about the world you came from, Saki-kyun, but it couldn't have been easy to learn about magic there either. Are you going to deny the passion and effort you poured into it in the past, Saki-kyun?"
That line made me realize something. It seems I had been unconsciously separating my past self from my present self. I (Shirasawa Aki) and I (Saki) were not separate beings, but one continuous self.
This wasn't just about me. All souls are seamlessly connected in the wheel of reincarnation. Even if one doesn't remember, what that person has accomplished is passed on to the next life as the brilliance of the soul. To forget such a natural way of thinking for a magician, I must have been out of my mind.
I slapped both my cheeks with my hands with a loud smack!, then bowed my head to Isis and spoke.
"I'm sorry, Isis, for suddenly lashing out at you. Even though I said it wasn't a big deal, it seems I was too hung up on being a reincarnator. Thank you for making me realize that."
"Saki-kyun is so honest. As an older sister figure, that's a high point for me."
Isis crossed her arms in the air, nodding as if in agreement. Seriously, the gap between her usual self and her serious self is huge.
Then, something started to bother me, so I timidly asked Isis.
"Um, so… about me being a reincarnator, does Ruria…?"
"Hmmmm, what is it? Are you still worried about that? If you don't want me to, I won't tell Ruri-chan. Still, to be worried about that, you're so young, Saki-kyun."
Isis grinned mischievously, teasing me. Annoyed, I reflexively said something unnecessary.
"Can't be helped, I'm still only seven here. Besides, if you're going to say that, weren't you just born a little while ago, Isis? Oh, but Sister Magisa has lived for hundreds of years, right? How old is she now?"
"Seventeen."
"Eh?"
"Seventeen."
I couldn't help but ask again, and found myself staring straight into Isis's eyes, from which the highlights had vanished. Feeling an infinite void spreading there, a chill ran down my spine.
"Magisa reached the depths of magic as a young maiden and became a being of Yetzirah just like that. So, she's seventeen."
As Isis spun her words in a monotone voice, I mustered my courage and asked a question.
"Umm… seventeen years and how many thousand months?"
"Seventeen."
"…Yes, ma'am."
I said nothing more and resumed my preparations for tomorrow, feeling Isis's vacant gaze on my back.
The next day, I went through my morning classes and afternoon practicals with a sense of impatience. The exchange with Isis last night had dispelled the frivolous mood I'd been in until yesterday, but I couldn't help but look forward to today's evocation ritual. Roche, sensing my restlessness, was watching me with a sticky gaze. Good grief, a perceptive child like you is…
After the practicals were over and we sent the other three back to the dorms, I, Ruria, and Isis immediately began preparing for the ritual. First, we took out the cloth with the magic circle drawn on it and spread it on the floor of the spell laboratory. This was not the one Ruria had used for Isis's Invocation ritual, but a new one I had created for this ritual.
The cloth was larger than the one Ruria had used, and it was a vertically long rectangle. At the bottom of the cloth was the usual magic circle. The divine names inscribed this time were Isis and Jefuty. Jefuty is the god of hermits. I had also added the symbol for "earth." This was because we were evoking an "Earth Elemental" this time.
At the top of the cloth, a regular triangle with a circle inscribed within it was drawn. This was, in essence, the appearance point for the evoked spirit. When I evoked the "Fire Elemental" last time, I had just sort of willed it to "manifest here," but this time, by designating the appearance point, I was increasing the success rate of the evocation.
In the circle inside the triangle, there was a small dish of soil. The soil was, of course, the stuff I had collected from the academy's garden yesterday. This is called a "material component," and it makes it easier to open a door (or in sci-fi terms, a wormhole) to the realm where the evoked target resides. For today's ritual, to access the "earthly domain" in Yetzirah, I had prepared something related to "earth," though it was of a very low grade. Even this should help a little.
"Saki-kyun, are you ready?"
"You bet I am."
I answered Isis's words briefly. I was psyched up, and now all I had to do was relax my body and mind, letting go of any excess tension. With this, my posture for the ritual was perfectly set. This was my life's first, full-fledged evocation ritual. I was going to make it a success, no matter what.
"The one you're summoning this time is one of the 'Earth Elemental Rulers.' Normally, it would be too much for a beginner, but I have a secret plan prepared, so it's okay! You can perform the ritual with confidence."
I gave a slight nod to Isis's words. My consciousness was already fully focused on the evocation ritual I was about to perform.
"Ruri-chan, you're an observer today. But watching the ritual and feeling the atmosphere is also excellent training. Make sure you watch Saki-kyun's cool side carefully."
Ruria also nodded silently at Isis's instructions and moved to a position where she could see me from the side. After confirming this, I took my [Fire Short Sword] and began the movements for the first part, the Qabalistic Cross.
"For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, forever. Amen."
At the center of the magic circle, I performed the Qabalistic Cross, and then the Banishing Ritual in the four directions. With the golden cross-shaped light piercing through my body and the pentagrams shining in the four directions of the magic circle, I began the evocation chant.
"The sacred mountain that soars in the depths of the earth's realm surveys the four corners.
The untrodden cliff walls command the children of men to prostrate themselves in awe.
The mountain range that pierces the heavens is like a line of blades turned to the sky.
The rugged ridge line shows tolerance to those it protects.
O thou, father of mountains, king of rock, most ancient and greatest of peaks,
Harqudash, father of all mountains!
I beseech thee by the supreme holy name.
Manifest before me and make thy might known in the Material World!
Let the rumble from the earth's realm shake this mortal world!
Oh! Thou Harqudash, great father of mountains!
In the name of the goddess of bounty, the guardian of sovereignty, the creator of magic, the great Isis!
And in the name of the god of wisdom, the protector of hermits, the administrator of time, the great Jefuty!
I purify thee, rouse thee from thy deep slumber, and summon thee hither.
Come, great king of rock, Harqudash!
Answer my plea and manifest before me!"
This was the secret plan Isis and I had prepared: "the true name of the spirit." Elementals usually have a weak sense of self, and it's almost impossible to distinguish between individuals. But among the ancient Elemental Rulers, there are those who, like humans, possess a firm self-awareness and a proper name. If one knows the "true name" of such a great spirit and can call it by that name during the ritual, the success rate of the evocation skyrockets.
Originally, this ritual was classified as a "special evocation ritual" even in the Book of Spirits, with high difficulty and requiring many ritual tools, far beyond what I could handle right now. However, I had been taught the "true name" of the great spirit I was summoning by Isis beforehand. That's why I had decided to go through with this ritual.
By the way, the choice to summon the "Mountain King" Harqudash was at Isis's recommendation. According to her, he was "relatively calm in nature and doesn't get angry at the practitioner for every little thing." I appreciate you thinking of everything, Sensei.
After finishing the long incantation, I held the [Fire Short Sword] in front of my chest and concentrated on the triangle drawn at the top of the magic circle. A small point of light appeared above the pile of soil on the dish in the center of the figure, and in the blink of an eye, it grew in size, spread throughout the room, and vanished in an instant.
'WHO IS IT THAT CALLS UPON HARQDASH, THE ANCIENT ROCK, KING OF THE MOUNTAIN, PRINCE OF THE EARTH ELEMENTALS?!'
What appeared with a great voice that seemed to echo not just through the spell laboratory but throughout the entire academy was something that could only be described as a giant rock. A huge face, as if carved roughly with features from a rugged boulder, towered above my head. Its top was scraping against the ceiling of the room with a creaking sound, but what was visible above the floor was only the neck and a part of the shoulders of this giant face.
A ridiculously large palm, which could only have been made by tearing off a piece of rock with unbelievable force, protruded from the floor and was spread out as if to envelop me. This alone occupied most of the not-so-spacious spell laboratory. It completely, or rather, not at all, fit in this space. I could see Ruria and Isis hastily evacuating to a corner of the room out of the corner of my eye.
I was dumbfounded by the sheer size of the thing that had appeared, but I finally recovered and forced my voice out to announce my name.
"I am Saki Adoni Arcalai, a 0=0 [Neophyte] of the magical order, the Holy Magicians' Order! King of the Mountain, I thank you for answering my summons!"
At that moment, the eyes of the giant face, which I had thought were just stone carvings, moved with a roll, and I felt its gaze turn to me. I almost faltered under the tremendous glow of mana overflowing from this giant body and the immense pressure transmitted by its gaze, but I strengthened my heart and held its gaze.
'A POLITE INTRODUCTION IS APPRECIATED, LITTLE MAGICIAN! HOWEVER, MAGICIAN, THIS PLACE LACKS A SATISFACTORY RITUAL SITE AND OFFERINGS TO SUMMON ME! SHOULD THERE BE A NEXT OPPORTUNITY, I DESIRE A VAST SPACE BEFITTING ME!'
Hey, this bastard! The first thing he does after being summoned is complain about the smallness of the venue and the meagerness of the offering! Sure, this room is too small for you, but there aren't many ritual sites that can accommodate that massive body of yours!
"Hey—!! You stupid rock!"
At that moment, a voice of condemnation rose from behind me. The owner of that voice was, of course, not Ruria, but her familiar, Isis.
"Don't you even understand where you've been summoned?! Stop manifesting in such a huge form and get smaller!!"
'OH! THAT MANA SIGNATURE, IT IS THE GODDESS! IT IS A STRANGE FATE THAT WE SHOULD MEET IN SUCH A PLACE, BOTH FAR FROM THE FORMATIVE WORLD!'
"Just get smaller, I said! Something terrible is going to happen if you stay like this!"
'BUT TO MANIFEST, I MUST HAVE A FORM THAT SHOWS MY DUE MAJESTY. ONE BEFITTING ME, THE PRINCE OF EARTH ELEMENTALS…'
"Listen to me! Because your body is too big, you're devouring Saki-kyun's mana! If this keeps up…"
Eh? Hey Isis, didn't you just say something ominous?
Immediately after a foreboding premonition sent a shiver through me, I felt the blood drain from my head with a rushing sound. Ah, this is bad. This is a feeling I've experienced before, the sensation just before losing consciousness when my mana runs out.
I rapidly felt sick, and my knees began to shake, making it seem impossible to stand properly. I desperately resisted the urge to pass out and tried to maintain control of the ritual.
My vision began to darken from the edges, and soon it went completely black. Just before that, what I saw was Harqudash, who had broken free from my control and was rampaging, and Isis, who was trying to stop him.
This is the forty-third chapter. I managed to upload it within March somehow. I'll be writing the next chapter at a steady pace, so thank you for your support.