Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world - - Chapter 176

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 176   Marigold

We were on our way to Alsphere.

As usual, we were traveling by carriage.

It takes about an hour from Ajolam, but considering it as commuting time, it’s somewhat far.

However, humans get used to it, and an hour didn’t bother us much.

Well, Marie and I were just riding in the carriage.

Winona was handling the carriage’s operation.

The Count and Carla-san were in a different carriage.

Although the ride was relatively comfortable, luxurious carriages were basically small and couldn’t accommodate a large number of people.

Therefore, even if there were many people, the carriage could only carry about four.

Of course, if it was a cargo carriage or a crude carriage, it would be a different story, but the ride comfort would be terrible.

The roads in this world were not properly paved, and when the carriage hit obstacles like stones, an incredible impact would be felt.

This carriage was of fairly high quality as I had ordered it, so it was much better.

Still, the impact couldn’t be completely absorbed.

After all, there was no such thing as a high-quality suspension.

“It’s been quite a while since we came to Ajolam. Shion is fourteen, and I’m sixteen.”

“That’s right. Sister is already an adult… Oh, speaking of which, don’t we celebrate coming of age?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve just gotten older. Besides, even if we say it’s a celebration, it’s just spending time with family and having a delicious meal.

In the city, there seem to be events where a lot of people gather, but our village isn’t like that.”

The village where we live is a secluded village bestowed upon us as an honorary nobility.

It’s a nameless village, considered to be a place where people with certain circumstances reside.

Despite that, it seems quite open.

Certainly, no one from outside has come here before.

Perhaps that’s why the only time we leave the village is during shopping.

Most likely, residents of Istria or Sanostria wouldn’t invite us to events they participate in.

There might be events like a coming-of-age ceremony.

Well, there’s not really a strict norm or anything.

If we said we wanted to participate, our parents would probably approve.

But Sister didn’t seem to like events like anniversaries.

She’s somewhat unclear in that regard.

She has some girlish aspects, but it’s subtly different.

She always liked swordsmanship and physical activity.

As she grew older, this became more pronounced.

I like the Marie from the past, the childishly honest one, but I also like the mature Marie now.

Marie, who was gazing outside, glanced at me.

“What are you going to do from now on, Shion?”

“What’s up? This is all of a sudden.”

“Right now, you’re continuing your research on the fairy language and magic.

And you’ve been helping various people with magic. I’m sure you’ll continue to do so.

I was just wondering what you want to do in the future.”

“Well, there are various things I’m thinking about aside from magic research.

Preparing for potential emergencies like the upcoming scarlet night incident, creating a school to train mages, determining the contents of the next magical tools, and also investigating the magic of fairies and natural substances, exploring the potential of fairy language, and so on.

There are so many things I want to do right now, and I haven’t been able to get to them all.

If the research on magic and fairies progresses, it would be enjoyable for me personally, and I might be able to help various people.

So, the goal would be… to research various things and achieve results, I guess?”

“I see. You’re thinking about a lot of things.

It used to feel like it was only about magical research before.”

“Didn’t Sister say that?

Isn’t it good if magic can be helpful to people?”

“Oh, right… I did say that, didn’t I?”

Marie lowers her gaze.

Her posture seemed contemplative.

What she is thinking right now cannot be discerned from her.

No, not just now.

Lately, I haven’t been able to figure out what Sister is thinking.

The image of Marie, who was distressed after the goblin attack, overlaps.

I think it’s different from that time.

There’s no sense of urgency like back then.

But something is different.

Perhaps it has become normal.

Is it growth or change? I don’t know.

Ask her.

I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.

But there are limits to thinking alone.

I realized that if I don’t ask, I won’t understand.

So, I’ll stop pretending to understand and just watch.

“Sister, is there something wrong?”

“What do you mean by ‘something’?”

I reflect on how vague my question was.

However, what can I say to convey my feelings?

I rack my brain for a few seconds.

I might have to tread a little deeper.

Even if I hesitate, I won’t be able to touch Sister’s heart.

“…I heard from our parents.

Sister, after reading the letter from me when I was in Sanostria, seems to have changed in personality.

They said there might be something on your mind.

I also think so. Sister is completely different from before…”

I sneak a glance at Marie’s demeanor.

Marie doesn’t particularly show emotions and listens to my story.

However, she doesn’t look straight at me.

It even seemed like she was taking a sidelong glance.

“Hey, you know. You used to be all like ‘Shion, Shion!’ and play with me, right?

But lately, it feels like there’s some distance.”

“I’ve mentioned that before, haven’t I? I’m not a child anymore, and I need to grow apart from my little brother.”

“T-that’s true, but…”

Marie’s words are reasonable.

Normally, as you grow up, you naturally drift away from your parents and siblings.

It’s part of becoming an adult.

However, if asked whether Marie fits into that category, I can’t easily accept it.

According to Dad, Marie’s current personality changed after reading a letter from me.

Maybe she saw my growth and achievements while I was close by and had some thoughts.

I can agree with that part of the idea.

I don’t know if it’s entirely correct, but without deciding that, I won’t find the reason Sister changed.

So, I thought about it.

What if Sister is forcing herself?

“If, if Sister is pushing herself, I want her to be herself naturally.

If Sister is enduring something, I don’t want her to.”

Marie remains serious.

However, this only intensifies the sense of unease.

Usually, Marie would show a smile or express surprise.

” I’m not forcing myself. The current me is my natural self.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Marie hadn’t been looking straight at me for a while.

She seemed slightly irritated.

Perhaps it had been like this since I returned home from Sanostria.

Marie is Marie.

No matter how much she changes, I will continue to love her.

Appearance, personality, thoughts, status—no matter how much every element changes, I have confidence that my feelings won’t change.

It’s still the same now. My feelings haven’t changed from before.

So, if Marie has truly grown and is content with her current personality, that’s fine.

But if she’s forcing herself, if she’s enduring it for my sake, then it’s a different story.

Normally, I would have avoided bringing this up.

But I took an even further step.

“I can’t help but see that my sister is forcing herself.”

“…I’ve told you many times.”

“I understand. You’re not forcing yourself. You’re being yourself. You’ve grown up, you’re growing apart from your little brother, right?

But, if that’s the case…”

I hesitated there.

Is it really okay to say this?

But if I don’t, we won’t move forward. Our hearts will remain stagnant while only our bodies grow.

So, I gathered my resolve.

I looked directly at Marie.

She seemed expressionless, but her face twitched ever so slightly.

To pierce through that unease, I spoke my words.

“Then why did you come with me to Mediph?”

Marie’s eyebrows twitched.

“Instead of growing apart as siblings, we should each devote time to pursuing what we need to do. You mentioned it, right? Sister, about studying various things like nobility and lordship.

It’s not just out of curiosity, is it? Because of how I am, I’ve been thinking about succeeding Father’s position. That’s why I made those efforts. Isn’t that right?”

“…And what if it is?”

“In that case, if you’ve truly grown apart and think it’s okay not to be together, then why spend time researching fairy language and magic with me? We’re not kids anymore. We’ve grown up. If that’s the reality, you should be fine with not being together.”

I realize my choice of words wasn’t great.

But I felt that I had to be this straightforward.

Until now, our relationship had been like lukewarm water.

We cherished each other, trusted each other, and had affection for one another.

I felt like there was an awkward consideration, wanting to preserve that relationship even though we’re family.

So, I took a step forward.

Marie shot me a sharp glance.

I remembered the time when, as a child, I had told Marie to stop practicing swordsmanship because it seemed forced.

Her eyes were the same as they were back then.

“…I’m doing it because I’m worried about you.”

“You do worry. That makes me happy. But I think Dad and Mom feel the same way.

They worried about me too. But because they had their own responsibilities, they let me go.

And they expressed joy in my growth.

Maybe, that’s what’s normal, what’s the right distance for a family.

I don’t want to be insensitive to you, sister. I’m happy that you’re with me.

I want to be with you. I want to have more fun with you and see many things together.

I’m happy when I’m with you.

But sometimes, it seems like you’re not happy.”

Marie’s expression became increasingly tense.

There’s no way a caring brother can be okay witnessing his beloved sister in pain.

My chest tightened, and I felt an impulse to apologize immediately.

But I endured it. I felt I had to endure it.

I desperately swallowed my words.

I just waited for Marie’s response.

She avoided eye contact, staring at the floor.

In a small voice, she muttered,

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

A furious scream echoed.

Dominic and others around the carriage looked through the window, wondering what was happening.

“Stop saying whatever you want! Shion is fine. He does whatever he wants, lives freely! And that’s fine. It’s fine, so don’t interfere with me!! I’ll do whatever I want. If it bothers you, I’ll leave! If you don’t like it, just say so!!”

“I don’t dislike it. There’s no way I would.”

“Then leave me alone! How am I different now? Has my personality changed? What’s the problem! What kind of feelings do I have when I’m with you?”

“What kind of feelings?”

I have no hesitation or guilty feelings.

So I don’t avert my gaze from Marie.

Marie is looking at me. More precisely, she was looking at me.

She quickly looked away, dropping her gaze awkwardly.

“I want to hear your feelings, sister. If not, we’ll continue like this, burdened with discomfort forever. I don’t want that. If you’re okay with it, that’s fine. But I don’t think so. So, I want to know your feelings. If I don’t, I can’t move forward, and it might lead to unhappiness.”

Marie was trembling.

Was it anger, sadness, or perhaps fear?

I couldn’t understand those emotions.

I didn’t know what Marie was thinking.

I had been considering Marie’s thoughts, respecting her feelings, and keeping a distance.

But that wasn’t truly considering Marie. I was just protecting myself.

Out of fear of being disliked by my beloved sister, I presented justifications, claiming to respect Marie, and ultimately, I was just avoiding conflict.

This wasn’t maintaining the status quo.

The situation was gradually deteriorating.

So now is the only chance. No, it might be too late.

I have to ask.

Why did Marie change?

What does she truly want?

I need to understand those feelings.

In Marie’s expression, there was a pure emotion reminiscent of childhood.

No, it was just well hidden.

It must have been there inside Marie all along, concealed from my view.

“Because…”

Marie contorted her face into a wry smile.

A childlike, pure, and anxious expression adorned her face.

Certainly, it was the Marie I knew.

“Because… be-because…”

With tears welling up at the corners of her eyes, she gazed at me with pleading eyes.

Marie grabbed onto my clothes, looking up at me.

I had no idea what she was trying to say.

It felt like I shouldn’t ask.

But it was already too late.

I had opened Marie’s heart myself.

My chest tightened.

It was painful, and I felt short of breath.

Marie’s feelings reached me painfully.

Marie spoke as if squeezing the words out.

“Be-because… we’re not… connected by blood, right?”

My mind went blank.

Suddenly, my hands trembled, and indescribable emotions took control of my body.

Regret appeared after the shock.

The sense of reality was thin, the feeling of the floor disappeared.

A sense of unreality, akin to the feeling of falling, struck, and chaotic emotions surged.

For just a moment, every emotion was born and disappeared, leaving only one question.

Why does Marie know?

Did she hear it from someone?

Or perhaps, like me, did she overhear it when Dad and the others were talking?

I don’t know. But one thing is certain.

The reason Marie changed.

But why?

After realizing we weren’t blood-related, why was there a need to change her personality?

Why distance herself from me…

No, that’s not it.

I somehow understand.

I understand, yet I’m not trying to comprehend it.

Marie was crying, clinging to me.

Her small shoulders trembled.

The reliable figure of my older sister felt smaller than usual.

Not just now.

I’ve grown up.

Unconsciously, I’ve grown to be almost the same height.

It wasn’t my sister’s body; it was a young girl’s body.

I timidly touched Marie’s shoulder.

Marie flinched for a moment.

What should I say?

Should I say I knew, so what, not to worry, everything will be the same, that we’re still siblings? Should I say something like that?

However, none of those words trembled in my throat.

My thoughts continued to circulate, yet reason didn’t function at all.

I was dumbfounded.

But for some reason, I spoke.

“I, I am—”

In the moment I tried to say something.

My whole body tingled.

I looked out the window.

There was Alsphere.

But something was different than usual.

A sensation that pierced my entire body.

My magic sense reacted intensely.

A sudden presence of magical power.

This was undoubtedly real.

“I-is this…”

Marie seemed to have noticed the current situation.

She wiped away her tears and looked at Alsphere.

There was a radiance more crimson than red, covering the sky—Scarlet.

Undoubtedly, it was the sign of the Demon’s invasion.

It was the Scarlet Night.