Calligrapher's beautiful character life in another world ~Daily life matchless with collection and character magic? ~ - Chapter 18 - 19

Calligrapher’s beautiful character life in another world ~Daily life matchless with collection and character magic? ~

Chapter 18   Let’s listen to the advice of superiors

The next morning, I was feeling quite dazed after nearly pulling an all-nighter.

I had been repeating experiments to verify the effectiveness of the “Character Magic” and ended up falling asleep inadvertently.

I got so engrossed in it that I couldn’t stop…

During breakfast, I found myself dozing off multiple times.

“Takuto, you were awake all night, weren’t you? What were you doing?” asked Miarella.

“Um… practicing magic.”

Miarella let out a heavy sigh. “Sleep should come before food. Look, you can eat later.”

But I just didn’t feel like getting up…

“Hey, what are you up to, Takuto?”

Gaihack suddenly lifted me up…

He’s treating me like a real child!

But I couldn’t resist; I was too sleepy…

“You’ve been using magic all this time, haven’t you? You’re on the brink of running out of magical energy.”

Magical energy… does using too much of it make you this sleepy?

Gaihack carried me to the room, cradling me under his arm.

“I’m sorry… for the trouble…”

Gaihack is incredibly strong, isn’t he?

I’m so… sleepy…

I woke up.

…It seems like it’s already past noon.

Feeling a bit sluggish still might be the result of that magical energy exhaustion.

“Physical Enhancement” can’t cover for that, I guess.

I don’t really understand how magical energy works, so I doubt I can achieve automatic recovery of it.

Full physical recovery… that’s probably out of reach too…

Right, let’s write down “Alleviation of Magical Energy Exhaustion Symptoms.”

And let’s try to pace myself a bit more…

As I descended towards the cafeteria, Miarella had prepared lunch for me.

“I’m sorry about this morning,” I said.

“It’s alright. You mustn’t push yourself too hard. Make sure to get a good night’s sleep and rest your body, okay?” she replied.

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

The bread was a bit firm, but it had a delightful crispiness. Today, there was tomato soup with plenty of vegetables, and it filled my stomach.

Oh, there’s meat too.

Yummy.

As I finished eating, Gaihack, wearing a slightly stern expression, asked me to come upstairs.

I might be in for a lecture after overexerting myself.

When I entered Gaihack’s room, I noticed something unfamiliar on the desk.

“This is a tool that ensures sounds won’t be heard by those around.”

“Is it because it’s about something you’d rather not have others overhear?”

“Yeah, it’s related to your magic.”

…Could he have seen the verification from yesterday?

“Your… healing magic…”

Oh, wait. Is he talking about the healing magic I used in the cottage?

“That’s… quite a unique magic. Probably different from what’s known as ‘healing magic.’ It’s absolutely crucial that no one else knows about it.”

Now that I think about it, it’s a type of magic I’ve never seen before…

“I think I mentioned that it’s not ordinary, but let me explain it from the perspective of regular ‘healing magic.'”

“Sure.”

Gaihack’s explanation revealed that it was quite different from standard “healing magic.”

First, wounds don’t instantly disappear. It takes over five minutes of continuous magic to even close a shallow wound.

Moreover, while wounds can be healed, it can’t cure poison. When I healed it, the poison from the horned wolf seemed to have disappeared completely. So it was venomous, huh…

And old scars can’t be healed. Once a scar has formed, it seems impossible to erase. However, even the old scar on Gaihack’s right leg had disappeared.

…I wrote down ‘completely heal wounds’ at that time. I see, it reacted to every physical scar on the body.

“Your magic is incredibly potent. It might be able to heal things that even doctors can’t.”

“…Could that power be put to good use, though?”

“Imagine if you used that power to save someone on the brink of death. Everyone would probably prefer to have you heal them instead of going to a doctor, don’t you think?”

Yeah, I would do the same if I encountered someone like that.

“However, both your power and magical energy are finite. It’s not guaranteed that you can heal everyone.”

…That’s true.

What if my magical energy runs out like it did today…

“But those who couldn’t be healed by you might resent you for it.”

“…”

“Moreover, if you could instantly heal any injury, even those who were previously cautious in their actions might start taking unnecessary risks.”

…That’s accurate.

The threshold for danger would certainly decrease.

“But you won’t always be in a position to heal them whenever they get injured.”

“That’s… true.”

“Don’t get me wrong; I’m not telling you never to use it. I’m just cautioning against using it recklessly.”

But the risk of using it is incredibly high.

“Also… those who can use healing magic are often targeted.”

“Targeted? By whom?”

“By those known as adventurers.”

Adventurers…?

“People who are fond of adventure tend to take risks as a matter of course, including sustaining serious injuries.”

That makes sense… Well, that’s probably why there are cautious people among them too.

“For them, a mage capable of healing is a highly sought-after asset.”

“I see… If they can be healed even when injured, they can return to adventuring quickly.”

“While some of them are good people, most are rough types, and many of them use brute force to get their way.”

…Rather than “rough types,” it sounds more like the “rogue” genre…

“Some mages are even abducted and forced into servitude.”

“Can’t they escape? Seek protection in other towns, maybe?”

“It seems these mages are bound by servitude contracts or threatened in ways that make resistance impossible.”

…Servitude contracts? That exists?

Excessive power and exceptional abilities make you a target.

And if you unwittingly find yourself in servitude…

I felt a kind of fear that I had never experienced before in my entire life.

Chapter 19   Let’s think about what’s important

“I apologize if I startled you, but you should understand that these kinds of things can happen.”

“Yes, it’s alright. I do realize I was getting a bit carried away with magic.”

“Your magic is likely to be incredibly useful, probably even more so than you imagine.”

“Well, that’s quite an exaggeration.”

“No, it’s not. Whether it’s healing magic or something else, your magic is likely to be very powerful.”

“…It’s possible.”

“Your magical abilities are unusually abundant, too. There might be people from distant places seeking your magic.”

“…”

“But whether you use that magic or not, that decision is yours alone.”

“Myself…”

“That’s right. Regardless of what anyone says, no matter the circumstances, even if many lives are at stake. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself to use that magic.”

“But… if many lives are at stake…”

“No, first and foremost, think about yourself. Think about your own happiness.”

“It feels selfish.”

“Yes, it might seem that way to onlookers. But you see, the only one who can think about your happiness is you.”

“Are you saying I should prioritize my own happiness?”

“Yes. No one else will prioritize your happiness. Your own happiness is the one thing you should protect.”

Is that okay… to do it like that?

“Do you feel guilty?”

“A little.”

“If you believe that other people’s happiness is more valuable than your own, then so be it. But that’s not the case.”

“…?”

“Your happiness and others’ happiness have equal value. Self-sacrifice serves no real purpose.”

Self-sacrifice… it might be a beautiful word.

But I also dislike it.

Those who stand upon it never sacrifice themselves, and even if they are thanked, the ones who sacrificed themselves do not find happiness.

“I understand that the value of happiness is equal.”

“Yeah, that’s all you need to understand.”

Gaihack-san is strong and kind.

That’s why he can say that.

I wonder if I can have such a strong heart.

“Well… in the end, the decision is yours. How to live, what to choose, it’s all up to you.”

“Yes.”

“I might oppose some of the decisions you make.”

“I hope you won’t do it too often.”

“I will. If it seems like you’re making a decision that doesn’t value yourself.”

“Yes…”

“Listen, you don’t have to do things you hate. And even if you must, don’t give up on finding another way until the very end.”

“That sounds tough…”

“I’m not telling you to work hard. Just never do anything that doesn’t allow you to take responsibility.”

“Yes.”

“Responsibility isn’t just about others, you know? It’s about your own heart too. Don’t ever do anything that betrays yourself.”

Gaihack-san is truly meddlesome and likes to lecture… he’s a good person.

“Hey, I’m not bullying you, and I’m not angry, okay?”

“I know, but… it’s been a long time since someone cared about me this much.”

“Takuto…”

“Well… I mean, I’m just thinking that it’s quite nice.”

Let’s think again about what’s most important to me, what I want to cherish the most.

With that, if I decide my actions, I’m sure I won’t regret them.