Chapter 11: The First Magical Experience
The next morning was my long-awaited start to magic training.
Last night, I went to my limits of using my MP and then afterwards I got sufficient rest…. Although in saying this, was my mother successfully persuaded to teach us? Sharl was likely to be in deep thought. I mean first of all, the usual steps to learning magic would be to first perceive the flow of magic, but I asked her to teach us magic so that we could expend our MP to its limits.
Four chairs were brought to the front of the house, first of all she held a twig in her left hand and used her right hand to grab on to the pointed end. When she did this, the pointed end of the twig caught on fire. Only a brief moment pa.s.sed when I saw her hand was shining with light, and although it was hard to tell because of the sunshine this early in the morning, I was sure that it did light the fire. I was in a rush as I used appraisal on Sharl, and it turns out that she did indeed use 1 Mp point to cast the flame. Right now, she didn’t say any words to cast the spell did she? It did not seem like she used an incantation.
「This is a branch of fire magic. It is one of the rudimentary things you need to learn in magic, but I want you guys to first learn something even simpler. Farne, try to make this flame flicker. Use both of your hands, hold them up and place them on both sides of the flame, and try to pa.s.s magic from one palm to the other palm. Imagine it within your mind, as it pa.s.ses from your right palm to your left palm. If you do it well, the flame should flicker」
Farne did as he was told and held his hands to both sides of the fire, when he did this, for some reason or another he had a really troubled expression as he started to groan in an effort to make the flame quiver. After a few minutes the twig fully burns out and Sharl tossed the twig on to the ground in order to put the fire out. The next person to try make the flame quiver would be Mill, and last it would be me.
All three of us were unable to do this well.
This time around after igniting the twig, Sharl gave it for Mill to hold and she positioned herself behind Farne as if embracing him firmly from behind. She placed both of her hands, right besides Farne’s hands which were trying to make the flame move.
「Alright, Farne, here I go. Please try to remember this feeling」
As soon as she said this, both of her hands shined. Although the flame began to shake rapidly it did not disappear.
「Farne, do you think you can continue to do this?」
「Uu, Kuu, uuu, I will try my best」
Farne is really obedient. At the same time, I was looking at Farne and opening up his status with Appraisal to check on his MP. It seems that his MP has not decreased from 2. Sharl positioned her hands on the outside of Farne’s once again. Farne was taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure and screamed out his fighting spirit as he stared directly into the flame.
When he did so, Farne’s hand glowed blue quite dimly. The flame flickers. He used…….1 MP!
Farne is now able to expend at least 1 MP.
After that Sharl lights up another twig, and after making Farne hold the twig, she was trying to teach Mill in the same manner. Mill was able to make the flames flicker even faster than Farne was able to, however because she reached her limit, it seems that she became really sleepy afterwards.
Sharl then lifts Mill in her arms and brings her inside the main residence.
「Oi, Al, did you see it? Magic is an amazing thing isn’t it? I wonder if I can become a magician like mother one day?」
Although it was kind of expected, it would seem that Sharl is known as a magician.
「I certainly saw it. It’s amazing. It will be awesome if I can learn to use it as well」
「Hahah, that’s true. But you know, this is really tiring. I think that it might be a little tough on Al. Even Mill has become so tired that she has already needed to sleep」
As he was saying such things, Sharl had returned.
「Alright, Farne. Whilst you haven’t forgotten the previous sensation, you should try it again」
「Eh, isn’t it supposed to be my turn next?」
I was a little dissatisfied so I raised a complaint.
「Once, you remember the feeling of how to use magic, you need to repeat it as soon as possible until it’s ingrained into you, now then, Al do you think that you will be able to hold the flame?」
「Yes, I will be fine」
I see, well I suppose if it’s something that you need to learn using your senses, it’s probably better to get used to it quickly.
「Then, Farne. Try it one more time」
Just like before Sharl placed her hands just outside of Farnes and soon it started to glow. This time around, much faster than before, Farne was able to make the flame flicker. Farne was really happy as he showed a beaming smile, but in the next instant a huge sense of drowsiness swept in and he was unable to endure it any longer. I suppose she expected this to happen, Sharl carried Farne in her arms as she went inside the house again.
「Fuu, I knew it would be like this, that’s why I wanted to teach you guys when you became a little older, this is much more normal. If you are still too young when you learn magic, your limit is still really small, so people have said that it is dangerous to learn when you are young」
「Normally what age would you be before you started learning magic?」
「Hmm, normally it’s after you become an adult, or perhaps it’s a little bit before that? If your body hasn’t properly matured yet, then there isn’t much magic in you, therefore, you can’t really practice much 」
I see, is that why everyone has such low magic capacity? Because n.o.body was purposefully using magic before the age of 9, there is not much room for growth once they reach adulthood.
「It should be fine, I don’t think great-grandfather would tell us to do such a thing without a good reason. I am sure that he has his own reasons」
「I suppose so, Well then, the next one is you, Al」
Sharl picked up a rather long twig and after igniting it, she thrust it into the ground.
「Then, let’s try it」
When Sharl puts her hand against the back of my hand, it starts to glow a blue light, and I could feel a warm feeling pa.s.sing through from one palm to the other. Is this what the flow of magic feels like? It’s really warm, it kind of feels like when you plunge your hands into hot water on a very cold winter night. I understand, so all I have to do is replicate this feeling intentionally to make it work? Eh, wait a second, can I really do such a thing?
「Do you think that you can try it yourself? I will stop my flow of magic now alright?」
「Okay, are you stopping it now?」
「Yes. I stopped it」
Muu. Immediately the flame stopped flickering. I watched the flame intently and willed it to shake.
But it doesn’t move at all.
Even Farne and Mill was able to do it, after having come this far, it would be a joke if I couldn’t do it right?
Isn’t this a really crucial part to my plans working?
「Al, for a flame to start shaking, what do you think it needs normally?」
「Well if we blow our breath’s on it, or if the wind blows……」
「Yes, in that case, try to imagine that a wind is blowing from your right hand, and your left hand is sucking up that wind」
What the, what’s with that? I mean it would be easy if I really had a mouth on my hands to blow out wind but…
Although I tried to put the image of my palm having a mouth, it just felt way too unnatural.
If I wanted the flame to shake, not only would I need an air flow, but I would also need some flow of energy of some kind. Energy, flow, flow forth energy…..
「Here, I will try helping you again」
For the second time, Sharl put her hands next to mine and made her magic flow.
Flowing energy. Moreover, I feel the energy flows into my body as well.
I suddenly had a thought, and I decided to imagine that there is a transparent blood vessel that is transmitting energy from my right hand to the left hand.
Obviously the center of the blood vessel is the flame.
I tried to imagine that the transparent blood vessel was being burnt by the flame.
Uohhh, this is really hot.
It almost felt like my veins were being burnt alive.
「Hot!」
What? Why is it that even though I am not touching the flame, I can already feel the heat?
The flame is roughly separated from me by at least 15 cm.
This is similar to a candle’s flame, and it shouldn’t feel hot at all from this distance.
In that case, why did I feel the heat?
At that time, I was imagining the transparent veins that connected from my left hand to my right hand starting to burn. Is magic about making what you imagine into a reality? Is that the kind of phenomenon it is?
Well next should I try imagining that a virtual fan is in my right hand? I literally imagined one of those small fans that used a battery to move in my right hand.
Pitter patter.
Pitter patter.
Pitter patter.
「Ohhh」
Just when I thought that a blue light was shining on my right hand, the flame died out. The feeling of receiving wind still remains in my left hand.
「Ehh? You are using wind magic…..?」
Sharl was at a loss for words.
「Al, are you alright? Don’t you feel sleepy?」
「Yes, I am completely fine, mother」
「Really? Then let’s try it again」
Sharl lights up the pointed end of the branch again and…
「Well, without a doubt that was also magic, but since it was way too strong, the fire completely vanished. Just like I said before, I want you to try feeling the magic pa.s.s from your right hand to your left hand」
As she said this, she placed her hands next to mine and tried to guide me again.
Once again, I feel the sensation of magic pa.s.sing through my arms.
This is a little different from the sensation of blood flowing through isn’t it?
This isn’t like the regular thumping of a heart beat as blood pa.s.ses through, it’s more like a fixed quant.i.ty always flows through the arms.
It’s almost like my right hand is a faucet of water that is continuously opened, and my left hand was a sort of drainage that was slowly absorbing the water that flowed through….
「Al, you must feel the flow of magic. Magic is always within your body, and is always rotating around you. You must feel for the flow of magic and direct it into your right hand to move it into your left, alright?」
What’s she saying?
Magic is perpetually revolving around my body? Other than blood how can there be another thing revolving around? Lymphatic fluids? That kind of thing is the same as blood….
And then I started to realize it…. Is my previous world knowledge actually hindering my imagination and obstructing my progress?
As a human who lived in the present age of j.a.pan, I naturally learnt a sufficient amount of knowledge in regards to the human anatomy.
Obviously there was no such thing as subst.i.tute for the study of “Magic” in this world.
Therefore, because both Farne and Mill were not obstructed with the knowledge I obtained from the previous world, they were able to keep an open mind.
Right now the image I am holding in my mind about magic, is the image of a blue light that shines, just like the one Sharl is using and the one Shiemi-obaasan was using to heal Farne, it was the warm flow of magic.
When I started to imagine a jelly like substance that was blue and that was warm circulating around my body, I started to feel yucky, and disgusted.
No this isn’t the feeling I should imagine…
Where the heck did I come up with jelly anyways?
This time I imagined that the blue magic is mixed in with my blood and is flowing through my body.
A magic that endlessly circulates around my body.
I was feeling the existence of the flow as it went from my right hand to other parts of my body, and then back again to my right hand. This “flow” is what I tried to move directly from my right hand to my left.
I imagined a transparent right hand that separates at my elbows and a transparent left hand that separates at my elbows. Right now, I was imagining the palms of the virtual transparent hands uniting together.
Both my hands started to shine blue, and the flame flickers.
Inside my mind, I felt the feeling of the flame trying to wriggle free out of my virtual hands which was placed in between my virtual palms.
Sharl removed her hands from mine and let me try to do it myself.
She probably felt my magic.
「Ehh, this is…..Well I guess it’s fine」
Even if before was just me being lucky, to conjure up that wind magic, right now even I was surprised at how easy it was for me to circulate my magic around my body.
「Umm. Mother, did I do it poorly?」
「It isn’t poor. You’ve done well. Maybe it’s because you aren’t used to it? I feel like your magic is a little different than the norm」
EH!? Is it different?
「More importantly, you should be getting sleepy soon right? Let’s take a break alright?」
What should I do? If I wanted to continue practicing magic any further, she would probably start getting suspicious… Because blue magically light shines when I successfully perform magic, it’s not like I can hide it, well let’s just continue practicing on my bed. Then, I will pretend to fall asleep here.
「Uuu…..」
「Ara Ara, as I thought, you are still such a cute baby. But, for a baby, the amount of magic this child has is really large. I wonder why this is? Is it because he’s such a genius?」
Whilst holding me up, Sharl was talking to herself as she brought me to my bed. I confirmed that Sharl went out of the room, before using appraisal on myself.
【Alein Greed/5/3/7429】
【Male/14/2/7428 Greed Household, Second son】
【Condition: Excellent】
【Age 1 years old】
【Level: 1】
【HP：6(6) MP：20(29)】
【Strength: 1】
【Agility: 1】
【Dexterity: 1】
【Endurance: 1】
Eh? I only used appraisal once on Sharl, once of Farne, and now once on myself, this totals to three times usage. Furthermore the first time I used magic was when I felt a burning hot feeling, the next time was when my hand momentarily shone and the flame blew out, the third time is when I used my virtual hands to successfully make the light flicker, this would be a total of 6 times using magic. Why did my MP decrease by 9 ? are you telling me that when I use magic I will use two points of magic instead of one….? No no, when I checked up on Farne, he was also using 1 MP, I’m sure of it. The last time I used magic, Sharl was kind of surprised, is it maybe because of that? No no, Sharl told me, that I was able to do it “Properly”.
In that case, maybe it was the time when my right hand shone momentarily? At that point in time, I am sure I heard that Sharl was saying that I used “Wind Magic”. Indeed at that point in time I was imagining a virtual fan was blowing wind from my right hand. Maybe it’s this one?
Ah…….. Wind magic is one of the special skills that Sharl had wasn’t it? Then perhaps it won’t be so weird if I am also able to use Wind Magic.
「Status Open」
【Alein Greed/5/3/7429】
【Male/14/2/7428】
【Greed Household Second Son】
【Special Skill: Water Magic(Lv.0)】
【Special Skill: Wind Magic(Lv.0)】
【Special Skill: Void Magic(Lv.0)】
【Inherent Skill: Appraisal(Lv.6)】
【Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talents】
Ohhh, yeahh. I did it! Eh, wait a second? What is this water magic and void magic?
Well, I guess its fine. Let’s ask about it in the afternoon.
Let’s just use up the quota of MP with Appraisal and go to sleep, or not.
Let’s just practice using magic instead.
I lied down on the bed face turned up, both my hands are raised up, and with my palm face towards each other, I had a s.p.a.ce of about 30 cm between them. Just like a moment ago, I imagined a virtual right hand and virtual left hand coming together.
I felt like I was more accustomed to it than a little while ago. I was able to do it quite easily.
I also tried to image a fan blowing. This one took a little more effort, but in the end I was also able to do this.
Next I tried to imagine a transparent blood vessel connecting my two palms. I did it!
After a while, I was able to successfully do it in one go, and I continued to rotate around these three forms.
It’s kind of like a bicycle?
My MP was quickly used up and I feel asleep.