Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 103 Tell me, Winona

I move the pen across the parchment. The low-quality ink strangely smudges and doesn’t flow smoothly. I can’t help but feel the greatness of modern mechanical pencils and ballpoint pens. Complaining doesn’t change anything, but I occasionally find myself thinking about it. It’s not that I’m attached to Japan, but I can’t help but make comparisons.

Well, in terms of living, I find this world more comfortable. I have a strong attachment here, and I don’t really feel the desire to go back. Putting that aside, I gaze somewhat aimlessly at the courtyard illuminated by moonlight. In the silence of the night, the outside world is tranquil.

In my somewhat familiar room, I contemplate what to do. The paper in front of me reads: “Grouping of Trainees.”

In the class for treating lazy syndrome, there will be more practical training than lectures. Knowledge is essential, but the emphasis will be on experiential learning. Originally, the idea of dividing into groups existed. I thought that learning in small groups would be easier than individual study in some cases.

Of course, there are complications. Firstly, the trainees come from five different countries: Lystia, Mediph, Rockend, Pulza, and Adon. Each country has its own characteristics, and their cultures and thoughts differ. Additionally, the troublesome part is that the participants are nobles from each country.

Friction is inevitable… or so I thought.

“It’s not as bad as I thought,”

So far, there haven’t been any tendencies to harbor hostility, look down upon, or flatter people from other countries. I ponder why that is when a knock on the door interrupts my thoughts.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me. I brought some tea.”

Winona enters the room with a tray in hand. Her nervous demeanor has lessened. She’s gradually changing too. Seeing that makes me happy, and I unintentionally let out a smile.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“No, um, is this about work?”

I find her slightly casual way of speaking preferable. I receive the tea from Winona. It has a nice fragrance that calms the mind. I take a sip and place the cup on the saucer.

“Yeah. It’s not about the content of the lessons but more about the students. I was thinking of forming groups. However, I was a bit troubled about how to go about it.”

“Because they are nobles from the five countries, you need to be considerate…”

“That’s right. I’m not familiar with the national situations. I understand a bit, but I’m wondering if there are conflicts between countries or compatibility based on each family’s background. I have a paper summarizing the information about the students I received in advance, but I don’t really understand it. Oh, Winona, sorry, but can you lend me a hand for a moment?”

“Yes! Anything I can do, I’ll do my best!”

Winona enthusiastically nods multiple times, breathing heavily. I didn’t expect her to be so eager. It’s delightful to see her show motivation. Well, it feels better to be helped than to help. Winona is a noble, and it seems she has extensive knowledge. She must have studied about nobility as well.

“Alright, I’m counting on you. First, could you tell me about the relationships between each country?”

“Yes, understood. Let’s start with Adon. It’s known as a military nation, the Grand Empire. Outwardly, its relations with other countries don’t seem bad. However, there are rumors of a somewhat cold war situation with Lystia, with allegations of exerting pressure. All the other four countries recognize Adon as a powerful and major nation, showing respect and admiration.”

There are around twenty people from Adon, including Isaac.

“At a glance, it didn’t seem like people from Adon were displaying an arrogant attitude toward others from different countries. Perhaps having the pride of being a major nation prevents them from looking down on others?”

“Adon becoming a major and powerful nation is a recent development. It forcefully took over land that originally belonged to Lystia and increased its military strength only in the last few years. So, conscious influence might still be limited. However, I think some aspects are starting to emerge. Among the trainees, there were those who displayed feelings of pride, or something similar.”

“I see. I didn’t quite catch that. Well, all nobles act high and mighty, right?”

When I say that, Winona bursts into laughter. I look at her, wondering what’s going on, and she hurriedly tries to conceal her expression. Blushing, she looks down with a shy expression, her face turning crimson.

“No, I apologize. T-that’s not something nobles usually say. I ju-just couldn’t help it…”

“Haha, it’s fine. It might be true. I’ve come to understand that much. But, um, do people from Adon still feel like they have a superior position?”

“W-well, to some extent, yes. However, there might not be a need for special treatment. Under the agreement to treat everyone equally, the training sessions are conducted.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

Regardless of being from a powerful nation or a prominent noble, it doesn’t matter. The reason for organizing this training, as the Queen mentioned, is to maintain equality. People from Adon should understand that much. While Adon is a major nation, it’s not overwhelmingly powerful. If other countries join forces, they can counterbalance Adon’s strength.

“As for the other countries, Mediph, Rockend, and Pulza, I don’t think there is any openly hostile relationship. At least for now. However, there are rumors of subtle power struggles and attempts to collaborate beneath the surface. Our country, Lystia, is said to be in a similar situation. Also, considering Lystia is a smaller nation with less national power than others, our position is slightly inferior. That’s probably why we’re trying to improve our status through this training.”

While I haven’t shared detailed information with Winona, it seems even she, being a noble, knows this much. Lystia might be in a more precarious position than I initially thought.

“As far as I can tell, it seems like there shouldn’t be any problem with pairing anyone together. It’s more like we’ll have to judge that there’s no issue.”

“Yes, that’s right. Probably, um, it’s difficult to make a definitive statement. However, after confirming the participants, I don’t think there are any particularly tense relationships. This is just based on family backgrounds, so I can’t say for certain about individual relationships. But maybe you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Why is that?”

“Um, everyone is quite young, and there’s very little interaction at social gatherings. Most of the trainees are between fifteen and eighteen years old. At this age, they’re more likely to attend private events, and since the heads of households are still active, they wouldn’t participate individually in public events. In that case, with a minimum level of courtesy, it’s unlikely that any grudges will arise. There might be close interactions between families with deep connections. It’s like that within each country, so I think there shouldn’t be any additional problems with other countries. Probably…”

I see. So that’s why there aren’t any deeply rooted conflicts. If there were tense relationships based on family backgrounds, you could tell by looking at the names, and from what I’ve seen, there aren’t any students with relationships that could cause problems in grouping.

Moreover, there’s no information in the student roster that would indicate any issues. If there were any problems, there would likely be some notes.

“And from what I saw yesterday, the atmosphere seemed good.”

“Yeah. Surprisingly positive reactions regarding magic.”

“I’m not sure about the commoner, but many nobles are hungry for entertainment. With wealth and status, they can do various things, so they’re often eager for something new. That might be the reason for that reaction.”

It’s not just nobles; humans, in general, are drawn to something new. Trends fall into that category too. Unexpected new things, like magic, are particularly intriguing, sparking a lot of curiosity. I understand that feeling painfully well. When I discovered magic, it felt like I had ascended to the heavens. If I were to show magic to everyone, they’d probably be even more delighted. I can’t do it now, but I want to show them someday. I want everyone to love magic, enjoy magic, and be able to use magic together. Oops, I got off track. Winona is looking at me with a face that seems to ask what’s wrong. I hurriedly continued the conversation.

“I see, that’s a pleasant surprise. With that in mind, the issues seem to be narrowed down quite a bit.”

In schools and workplaces, the most significant obstacle is often human relationships. There are plenty of people who judge things based on personal preferences. Just by existing, a person can become an obstacle to someone else, and there are times when someone may be disliked without any apparent reason. People can develop likes and dislikes for reasons that aren’t always clear, and you can’t always know until you interact with them. Anyway, thinking about it further seems pointless. There are still issues, though.

“Are there any other problems?”

“Yeah. Well, first off, it’s about that commoner.”

“Ah… That person?”

Winona also twisted her face in a troubled manner. It might be the first time I’ve seen her make such a natural expression. It feels kind of refreshing, though I won’t say that.

“When there’s a commoner among nobles, they naturally stand out. He seemed quite reserved as well.”

“Yes, that’s true. Others seemed to be concerned about him too.”

“How did it feel, do you think?”

“…It’s just my personal opinion, but I don’t think he left a particularly good impression.”

“Right. I feel the same way.”

The surrounding glances were clearly sharp. Mice, the commoner, stood out unmistakably, and the environment didn’t seem accepting.

“Thanks to Shion-sama’s words, everyone was attentive in class yesterday and today, but as we get used to it, there might be some friction. Not only for Mice-sama but also for other noble participants. The speculation earlier was based on the information I gathered.”

“Yeah, that’s one reason I thought about grouping them.”

Winona tilted her head in response to my words.

“Um, wouldn’t grouping them make Mice-sama’s position even worse?”

“That might be true. But, then again, maybe not.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s a kind of wait-and-see situation. I don’t know if it will go as planned, but since everyone has become my students, I’m going to do my best to ensure they all graduate safely. So, it’ll be okay.”

Winona looked a bit surprised for a moment and then immediately wore a gentle smile.

“Shion-sama is very kind. I think everyone who becomes Shion-sama’s student is fortunate.”

“Haha, well, I won’t give you anything even if you praise me.”

With a natural smile, she inadvertently made my heart skip a beat. No, no, why am I getting flustered?

“Anyway, leaving aside Mice-kun, the commoner, there’s another student I’m concerned about. Especially Mr. Goltba.”

“The Earl of Mediph, isn’t it? If I remember correctly… a scholar, was it?”

“Yeah, he seems to be an authority on fairy studies. It’s unclear why he joined this training, though.”

“But I understand the feeling.”

“Hmm? Whose feeling?”

“Ah, I-I’m sorry! Um, it’s about Count Goltbar. It seems he doesn’t have magic, but during the class, he seemed quite earnest in trying to produce magic. I don’t understand his motivation for participating in the training, and I don’t know the serious reason behind it. It might be a matter of pride, but… I can understand the desire to produce magic. I, too, don’t have magic. Um, to put it in a way, I admire it… or feel a bit lonely.”

“Lonely?”

“Yes. Shion-sama explained what magic is before the treatment. But I can’t feel it; I can’t see it. I believed in it, but I couldn’t feel it. However, yesterday, when Shion-sama showed magic to everyone in the classroom… they all looked so happy. They said it was beautiful, wonderful, and were excited. To me, who can’t see it, it just looked like everyone was looking up at an empty space. Somehow, that felt lonely… and I felt inexplicably envious. Maybe Count Goltbar has similar feelings, I thought.”

I see. People who can’t see or feel magic can’t truly grasp its existence. Even though I explain it verbally and others can see, Winona can never perceive it. However, she understands its existence by observing the treatment for lazy syndrome and the reactions of the trainees. That’s why she longs to see it, to feel it herself. If I were in her shoes, I’d likely yearn for it. It’s the same as my past self, filled with admiration for magic. Can those without magic truly not produce it? Is it an absolute law of this world?

“No, I apologize. I may have gone too far!”

Whether it was because I fell silent or not, Winona hastily bowed her head.

“N-no, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong!”

“However, I, relying on Shion-sama’s kindness, spoke my impressions without permission…”

“It’s fine. It’s okay to talk about it. Don’t be too reserved. I won’t get angry about something like this. And when Winona honestly shares her thoughts, it makes me happy. So, right? Don’t apologize.”

I lightly patted Winona’s shoulder, and she slowly raised her head.

“Shion-sama…”

Seeing her slightly moist eyes, my heart skipped a beat just once. Because we were closer than I thought, the disturbance was stronger.

“I am, happy to be Shion-sama’s maid…”

Uttered in a trembling voice while looking into my eyes. It’s only natural that my heartbeat would quicken if she said something like that. I didn’t know how to respond.

A brief moment of silence.

After that, Winona looked surprised, her expression changed abruptly, and she forcefully bowed her head again.

“I-I apologize! I, I’m leaving!

Uh, I-I’ll excuse myself!”

With a frantic gaze and stumbling words, Winona hastily turned on her heel. She forcefully closed the door and left.

The room was instantly enveloped in silence. Within it, only my heart continued to pulsate incessantly.

Oh, come on! What’s going on with this!

Even though I’m an old man on the inside, why am I getting nervous around young girls?

Calm down. Know your place.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

Alright, I’ve calmed down.

While my heart remained noisy, I convinced myself that I was okay. The face of my sister came to mind. The necklace gleamed.