Arc 27: The Reverse World
Chapter 296: The Magic Training, and the Talent
「I understand your circ.u.mstances. However, you probably should’ve just walked here normally」(Nia)
「It really is the truth. I promise……」(Touya)
I, who’s sitting in a seiza inside the tent, am currently reflecting on what Nia is reasonably saying.
Somehow enjoyable… No-no…. Otherwise, I’ll fall into a pitfall like this.
「It’s great that wasn’t the vice leader that you’ve seen changing. If it was her, you would’ve had a terrible time, Touya-san」(Yuri)
「Est is merciless once she’s able to grasp a person’s weakness. She’ll work them hard without reservation」(Nia)
Swinging her long waved hair, the group’s member Yuri speaks in unfussy tone, to which Nia nods in reply.
Apparently, the vice leader, Est, is absent. The other person, the ponytailed girl Yuni, is not here as well. I’ve heard that they’re currently in Allen, the Holy Capital of Arendt, investigating something. In a certain sense, I was saved from a fate a lot worse than this.
「Of course, it doesn’t mean I’ll easily forgive you」(Nia)
Nia shows an evil grin and laughs.
I guess that’s right~.
「……What will you make me do?」(Touya)
「Didn’t I say it before? I said, “teach me magic”. Something easy is fine~」(Nia)
「Ah! I want you to teach me as well」(Yuri)
No-no. Does it really have to end up like this? In this world where magic didn’t develop that much, I wonder if it’s fine to teach magic to someone from this world?
In this world, the existence of magic is widely accepted. Because of that, I don’t think I need to worry too much about teaching magic to others. Besides, books that teach magic are being sold here anyway…
Hhhmm. I guess I can get away with teaching them just the easy ones.
「…Got it. However, I don’t want you to misuse it, okay?」(Touya)
「That’s. Are you seriously saying that to us?」(Nia)
「Ah~… a good person won’t use magic in a manner where they’ll regret it later」(Touya)
Even if saying those kinds of things to a group of thieves is foolish, I still take magic stones fragments out of my “Storage”.
Inside the tent, I then arrange them on a table with a lantern used for lighting.
「What are those? They are dazzling beautifully~」(Nia)
As expected. Or perhaps I should say that it’s just natural that magic stones don’t seem to exist in this world. Oh well. Maybe that’s the reason why magic hasn’t developed that much.
Come to think of it, there are “magical light stones” in this world. I could say that those stones can be called a variation of the “light element magic stone”. There might be other objects in this world that are similar in nature to the ones in our world.
「Those are the fragments of magic stones. We can determine which apt.i.tudes you may have with those. Don’t resent me if you don’t have any. After all, there are many people with don’t have any apt.i.tude for magic」(Touya)
Especially in this world. I dare to say that the number who can use magic may be especially low, and people not having magic power may not be the reason. When comparing this situation to a water tap, the water may not flow out of the tap due to the handle being stiff or that it’s hard to grasp.
If that situation continues on for several generations, the tap will rust altogether. However, water will properly flow through that rusted tap if the latter is opened.
As for phenomenon called magic in this world, it looks like it’s something which can only be learned in special educational inst.i.tutions, probably for a select few. I could say that due to the existence of the golems, magic in this world isn’t regarded as something important up the point where it has degenerated more than in our world…
On the contrary, the reason for Nia being attached to magic so much is something very mysterious.
I guess it might probably be because I showed her a lot of convenient magic.
「So, what am I supposed to do?」(Nia)
「You chant a spell while holding a magic stone. If the stone reacts, then you have an apt.i.tude for this type of magic」(Touya)
I want to show her an example, but the outcome will become a major incident given the amount of magic power I have.
After I teach them just a piece of the incantation from a spell, the result shows that Nia possesses the fire attribute while Yuri possesses light attribute.
Honestly speaking, this is unexpected. Though I thought that them having an apt.i.tude to any magic attribute is quite adequate, the opposite isn’t something troublesome either. This will, however, be my secret.
「Do you know what the flow of magic is?」(Touya)
「I know that. That’s because it’s used when a golem is being manipulated. …Come to think for it, Rogue is late. How far did he go?」(Nia)
If I remember correctly, Rogue is Nia’s golem, right? Though I haven’t seen it here yet. However, is it capable of acting autonomously? It appears Rogue an automatic type golem.
I suppose they really needed the orichalc.u.m I gave them for the repairs.
Well, since they can manipulate magic power, that will make explaining things faster. When teaching an absolute beginner, the first obstacle is to explain the concept of magic power, which in itself takes quite a long time. … Is what Linzue and Rin have said though.
Well, when Sakura had been studying magic, it took quite some time until she was able to use magic.
「Anyway, try to gather magic power, project an image inside your mind, and chant the spell」(Touya)
Showing the actual result will make it easier for them to imagine the spell.
「Oh light come forth, tiny illumination; Light」(Touya)
A ball of light as small as baseball appears inside the tent on my fingertip that I’m pointing upwards.
「Oooooo, Amaaazing~! It’s s.h.i.+ning!」(Nia)
「Fuaaaa…… It is beautiful, isn’t it!」(Yuri)
After making it float here and there inside the tent, I snap my fingers and put the “Light” off.
「That magic, can I also do it?!」(Nia)
「You can’t」(Touya)
「Oi! What’s up with ~that?!」(Nia)
「Didn’t I tell you before? There’s a reason why magic affinity is called attribute. “Light” is a magic of the light attribute. You see, for you Nia, you can only use magic from the fire attribute」(Touya)
Yuri, who is beside the sullen Nia, then raises her hand.
「Then, if it is me…?」(Yuri)
「You’ll be able to cast it. Gather your magic power and imagine a ball of light. Then, chant the spell the same way I did just a while ago. It’s easy to succeed if you’re absolutely confident that you’ll be able to cast it」(Touya)
「Uuhhmm……「Oh light come forth, tiny illumination; Light」, waah！」(Yuri)
A ball of light, about the size of a 10 yen coin, appears at the tip of Yuri’s finger.
Surprised at its appearance, she probably had a lapse in concentration, and the light immediately vanished. Well, it was still a success. This magic is elementary, so it’s obviously not that difficult.
As expected. It seems that there are some people in this world that have the makings of geniuses who are able to use magic without any problem.
「It disappeared…」(Yuri)
「Your concentration was interrupted. Once you get used to casting magic, you’ll be able to invoke the spell even if you don’t concentrate on it. Conversely speaking, if you use it suddenly, you’ll also be able to use this magic like a flashbang」
Though I’m talking haughtily right now, everything that I’ve said is just a retelling of what Linzie said before. “Light” magic is a basic magic, but it can become a powerful weapon depending on how it’s used.
「Still, I was able to use magic as well. I’m happy~」(Yuri)
「Daaa~a! Next is me! Hey~ Teach me some fire magic!」(Nia)
Soothing Nia who started acting violently, we then step outside the tent. Nia has an apt.i.tude for fire magic, so we can’t chant fire spells inside the tent.
Though I’ve said that, the surrounding area of the fort courtyard is a forest, which is also not an appropriate place for practice.
This is an abandoned fort, so naturally, there are also ivies spread about here and there where the rampart has started to collapse. I choose one of the fort’s corners as a practice ground.
「O Fire come forth, Red Stone; Ignis Fire」(Touya)
When I chant the spell, a pebble-sized firestone fires out from my fingertip. It successfully hits the collapsed rampart and envelops it in flames. I’ve held back quite a bit, but the heat isn’t enough to melt the stone. The moss and such, which grew on the surface of the wall, is burned though, and the flame goes out after burning for a little while.
「Oooooo! A flame came out!」(Nia)
「It doesn’t have the power to kill a person, but it’s a useful magic nevertheless. It’s the most basic magic of the fire attribute」(Touya)
I give an explanation to the surprised Nia. Then, she faces the same stone wall and starts to chant the incantation the same way as I’ve taught her.
「O Fire come forth, Red Stone; Ignis Fire!」(Nia)
In response to Nia’s chant, a small stone appears and flies to the rampart just like how mine did before. The flame pebble magnificently hits the wall, shaving a little from it. Oh? Doesn’t her version have quite the power in it?
「I did it! Waaaaaah! Amaaaazing~!」(Nia)
Nia continues shooting multiple pebbles of flames in delight. Heee. She has quite a large magic capacity as well. ……. Wait a minute! Hasn’t she been casting the magic with no chant right after the second shot!?
No-no-no. It’s certainly possible if the magic formula that’s kept inside the body is being connected to her magic power, but that’s easier said than done.
Right now, this is the only magic that Nia knows. I would understand it if the concept of exchanging magic formula doesn’t exist but… In addition to that fact, the fine control of magic is also needed. But that’s only when she’s already very much accustomed to it……..
(Black: Looks like we have a prodigy here. Oh, Touya. And your fiancees have just said not to do anything reckless.)
「Touya! Are there any other magic spells?!」(Nia)
「Other magic spells?」(Touya)
It’s not like there are no others, but fire attribute magic consists mostly of offensive spells. Something small like “Ignis Fire” is okay, but anything beyond that could burn the forest.
「O Fire come forth, Flame Barrier; Fire Wall」(Touya)
「Wwow! It’s a wall of flame~！」(Nia)
I show her an unusual defensive magic spell from the fire magic attribute. However, this is an intermediate fire magic, and for Nia who’s still learning magic, it’s…
「O Fire come forth, Flame Barrier; Fire Wall」(Nia)
She’s able to use it!!
Imitating me, Nia very easily chants “Firewall”. Oi-oi! What’s is that? The talent she has is too much……..
When I first learned magic, Linzie might’ve felt something similar. In my case, it’s thanks to Kami-sama or rather, it’s possible because of my cheat ability. Could it be that every human being in the reverse world has a talent for magic?
As a test, I teach Yuri an intermediate light magic, but she’s unable to invoke it. She has a good affinity with magic, so she may eventually be able to invoke it if she practices. Nevertheless, her skill is not on par to Nia’s standard.
…… It may be a good idea for me not to teach her very strong magic spells today. If she can even “Mega Explosion” that easily, I won’t be able to predict what kind of mess she could cause.
I’ll have to consult with vice-leader Est about this matter.
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「Come to think of it, what did you come here for, Touya-san?」(Yuri)
Once we take a break, Yuri asks me. Eh? Seriously? After all this time you just ask me that now?
「I planned on getting a golem for myself, but I have no money. Didn’t I sell you orichalc.u.m and other materials the other day? And so, I came to get the payment」(Touya)
「Aaaaah! Eh! I’ve forgotten about it!」
Hey.
It’s probably not her intention to run away from paying, but for her to say that she “forgot” about it is…
「I did forget about paying you, but I still have properly prepared the payment. Yuri, please bring Touya the money from the safe」(Nia)
「Yeees」(Yuri)
Yuri runs into the fort. What the heck! You guys had forgotten about paying me, but you still prepared the payment and kept it inside a vault? Oh well. I’m also to blame here for not coming to pick the payment up immediately.
When Yuri returns, she hands me a small bag in her hand just like that. It feels heavy and clunky due to the coins inside.
「Ummm. If I remember correctly, there should be 150 king gold coins. You won’t say that this is not enough, will you? Because even with this amount, I took a lot of trouble just to gather it」
Though I’ve thought that the monetary value is different in the reverse world, the amount I have right now is about 1.5 billion yen if I’m to compare this world’s currency to my original world.
Or rather, for a band of thieves to get a hold of this huge amount of money….. No, they likely just have this much money simply because they’re a band of thieves.
「If I have this much, will I be able to purchase a golem?」(Touya)
「You probably can buy a “Factory” model. I don’t know about a “Legacy” model though. There are all sorts of them after all」(Yuri)
「In the first place, it’s extremely rare to see a “Legacy” model being sold in an open market」(Nia)
Is it so? It would’ve been better to get a “Legacy” model, but even a “Factory” model will do just fine in my current circ.u.mstances. In any case, the professor will likely do a power-up remodeling on the golem that I’ll be buying after all.
「Well, it’s not like you can’t get a hold of “Legacy”. If it’s “that place”」(Nia)
「Ah, that’s right. There is one over there ~right」(Yuri)
「?」(Touya)
As I dubiously look at the two people nodding at each other, Yuri then starts to explain.
「The “Legacy” golems are discovered mainly in ruins and other similar places. There’s a place where adventurers sell them without going through legal and proper channels or where a “Legacy” golem that can’t be sold openly is being bargained for. It’s mainly because those golems have been stolen from someone else, or that someone might have regretted purchasing these golems in the first place」(Yuri)
「Does that kind of place exist? Also, can I really buy a “Legacy” golem if I go there?」(Touya)
「Probably. We’ll guide you there if it’s alright with you. It’s a place that’s considered dangerous, but Touya will probably not have a problem with it」(Nia)
What with that? Is it really that dangerous? When I try asking where the heck is this place, Nia shows a fearless smile and opens her mouth.
「The Black Market」(Nia)