Chapter 12 - The Priestess
Two days after the exploration of the small underground room.
All three of us have a day off.
Well, since I'm a freelancer, every day is a day off in a way.
We decided to go to the Priestess together. Adolf-san told us that since we worked so hard on the rat extermination, we should have the Priestess examine us once.
It's said that gaining experience using magic allows one to learn new spells, and the most direct way is said to be the experience of using magic in battle. Apparently, the tension is different.
Those born and raised on this island can use magic. But those living on the continent cannot. Even if someone born on the continent crosses over to the island, they don't become able to use it. It seems those who can use magic are only those born on the island and raised to a certain age while remaining on the island. It's one of the mysteries of this island called the White Island.
And magic isn't something you learn naturally just because you've gained experience. It's because the Goddess grants it to you. The one who delivers that oracle is the Priestess. They are all women and are generally called miko.
The Priestesses live in the shrines, and every country protects them generously and treats them with great courtesy. The shrines are built by the nations, and most of their living expenses are covered by national funds. Even if a war breaks out, the Priestess's shrines are not attacked, and if danger seems imminent, a truce is called to evacuate them.
I don't know the circumstances of how they became Priestesses. Rumors in the streets say they have inherited the abilities of the people who were on this island since ancient times, called the Ancients. The truth is unknown, but there's no doubt they are experts in magic.
When we reached the entrance, there was a woman in white clothes, so we stated our business. First, to see if we could learn new magic, which required one silver coin per person at this stage. Beowulf, who doesn't usually use magic, paid as well. She wanted to ask just in case, since it would be convenient if she could use it.
Inside, several people were already waiting. Their business was likely the same. While waiting, our turn came, and we were guided to a different room.
A magic circle was drawn on the floor, and I was told to kneel in the center and close my eyes. Doing as I was told, the Priestess, who was presumably standing beside me, placed her hand on my head. And she was offering some kind of prayer. After waiting like that for a while, the Priestess who had been praying said one thing.
"Thou, the oracle has been delivered."
That was the end of it.
I waited at the window for a bit, and they handed me a tag wrapped in paper. Then, I was told to leave the shrine once. If you shout inside the shrine, you'll be caught by the guards and thrown into jail. In the case of adults, they won't let you out for a week, no questions asked. Sending people outside the shrine is, in a sense, an act of kindness.
Once outside the shrine, I waited for the three of us to be together and opened the package at the same time. First, Beatrix did a victory pose, jumping for joy.
"Yes! I can learn status-change magic. My salary's going up!"
She was overjoyed.
"I was no good. Same as always. How about you, Jeanne?"
Beowulf was shaking her head. On my tag was written: 'New Basic Holy Magic: 1'.
"It's basic, but it looks like I can learn a new type of Holy magic."
I felt bad for Beowulf, but the corners of my mouth were starting to curl up.
Hmm. I still have a long way to go in my training.
There was a reason Beatrix was so happy.
Magic is classified into several systems. For example, the magic I can currently use is Heal and Holy from the Holy magic system. The new magic I can learn is from the same system.
This time, in addition to the Elemental Matter magic system she can currently use, Beatrix was found by the Priestess to have an aptitude for the Status Change system. In other words, her rank as a mage has gone up. The power of her magic will increase, and the number of times she can use it in a day will also increase.
It's said that the possibility of using magic is aptitude, and whether one can master it is sensibility and effort. It's said that about one-tenth of the island's residents have the aptitude to use magic, and that aptitude apparently changes its direction of growth depending on the person's development.
Beowulf can't use magic now, but there's a possibility she'll be able to in the future. However, it's said that one can only learn new magic until their early twenties at the latest.
By the way, unless there are special circumstances, everyone can have their aptitude examined at the Priestess's place when they turn ten. At that time, the nation pays the fee, though it's only for that one time.
Now, once you know you can learn new magic, next they can tell you what kind of magic you can learn. After offering words of comfort to Beowulf, Beatrix and I headed back to the shrine entrance once more.
After handing over one silver coin and the tag to the woman, we were guided to a room different from the one before. The number of people waiting was clearly fewer compared to the previous room. When our turn came, we received the oracle just like before and went outside the shrine, then Beatrix and I checked our tags.
"Well, I guess it's something like this."
Beatrix looked slightly dissatisfied. On the tag was written: 'Discoloration'. For example, magic to dye hair color. I see.
She was originally good at drawing, and lately she's been researching new hair colors with Angelica-san, after all.
On my tag was written: 'Cleaning'. I see.
I was originally a fan of cleanliness, and it's probably because I've been doing nothing but entering the sewers lately.
Come to think of it, there was also that time I used sewer water to clean the dirt off the walls.
"Well, for rat extermination, I guess it's about right. We became able to use new magic in less than two weeks, so let's call it a win."
"You're right. Since we're here, let's learn it before we go home."
We had Beowulf wait and headed to the shrine once more. We paid one silver coin each again. Once you go to the Priestess, you have to wait a month before going again. The story is that the Priestess needs mental concentration to receive the oracles, so they can't handle large numbers. If we work hard at rat extermination... monster hunting for a month, there might be some more growth next month.
After the three of us had lunch and a rest, we returned to the orphanage and immediately decided to practice the magic we had just learned.
Beatrix applied paint to a white piece of paper and was staring at it intently while mumbling. She must be creating an image. As for me, I've been mumbling while doing laundry using a basin filled with water and a washboard for a while now. At first glance, it seems unrelated to learning magic, but this is also exactly as the Priestess taught. The mumbling is because I'm thinking of the words for the incantation. When I find words that fit my image, I write them down on the paper placed beside me and create an incantation to enhance the image. By repeating such tasks many times and coming up with something I'm personally satisfied with, I actually chant the magic and confirm that it activates.
Magic incantations are a necessary task to imagine the magic being used. If you can firmly imagine the magic before using it, you can use it continuously after that. Of course, if there's a gap, you have to re-chant. As you improve, you become able to use magic without an incantation, but we still need incantations.
By the way, any words can be used for the incantation. As long as the person can imagine the magic, it's fine. Therefore, the words differ from person to person even for the same magic. Gathering mana in one place and releasing that power according to the image. That is what magic is considered to be.
In my case, since it's Holy magic, I wish for the laundry I'm washing to become clean and simply offer prayers to the Goddess. Those words themselves become the incantation.
And then, Beatrix, who is quick to act in everything, stood up. She took Beowulf, who had been doing push-ups, and went somewhere. She must be going to have her check the results. I ignored them and decided to concentrate on my own work.
While continuing for a while, I felt like I had somehow gotten the hang of it, so I held out both hands toward the laundry I hadn't washed yet and began the incantation.
"Clean Up!"
The laundry was enveloped in light... and became as clean as if it had just been washed!
When I timidly flipped it over, the dirt on the back hadn't come off. A failure. I looked closely at the laundry that had been washed and was clean from corner to corner, then started washing again.
In the end, as evening approached, I finally became able to remove dirt with magic to the point where there was no difference compared to when I washed by hand. All that's left is to keep practicing. For a while, I'll wash Beowulf's laundry as practice. Ah, and Beatrix's too.
"Did you do it?"
The two of them arrived as if they had timed it. They must have been watching me from the shadows. Looking closely, the colors of the buttons on Beowulf's clothes had changed. From the top, they were three colors: red, blue, and green. When I asked why she chose those colors, she said they were the basic colors of the hair-dyeing scrolls currently on sale at Marcelo-san's shop.
If I recall, they were Red-Purple, Blue-Purple, Ruby, and also Jade. I wonder how you'd mix those three colors to get those results. Strange things do happen.
"It's pretty, right?" Beatrix bragged. Beowulf had a subtle expression.
"Well, it's better than if she'd turned your hair three colors."
"What's that supposed to mean!"
I laughed to cover up my response to the snapping Beatrix.