Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world - - Chapter 39

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 39   Aqua 2

― Let’s go back to verifying water magic.

The reaction earlier had no practicality.

It would be great if I could freely manipulate even a small amount of water, but it only floated a little.

Moreover, that was the extent of the reaction with my maximum magical power output.

Unlike fire and lightning, water is a substance.

It has weight, and the material energy is vast compared to the phenomena of the former.

In other words, moving it requires considerable force, and changing it is also difficult.

Now, my released magical power amount is the limit of what I achieved earlier.

In the future, I might be able to release more magical power, but not now.

At this stage, is water magic unusable?

No, no, there are still points to consider.

The atmosphere.

Atmospheric magic, in this case, pertains to air, but it amplifies the characteristics of the air.

The air contains moisture, and from that, I assume it might pass through water without any discomfort.

Now, what should I do?

Command to the atmospheric magic.

Magic was born by allowing phenomena to touch magical power.

However, water magic is not a phenomenon but a substance.

I think this has its strengths and weaknesses.

Magical power is simply there, but you can give it commands.

The main ones are movement and changes in mass.

However, that mainly involves touching a decrease in magical power, so it becomes a significant command.

In a state where magical power touches fire, increasing the magical power and raising the firepower, or the reverse, is possible.

However, fire is fire itself, and making it reach a temperature that can melt anything is impossible.

It might be possible if the magical power amount increases, but there is a limit with the current magical power.

Then, what about substances?

Can I give a command to the air itself that is touched by magical power?

Movement and changes in mass are possible.

What else can I do?

For example, is it possible to decrease the temperature of the magical power and solidify moisture?

No. That is impossible.

Magical power is not omnipotent, and commands are given to magical power itself, not something that changes its nature.

In a state where the temperature is actually lowered, that is possible, but magical power cannot induce environmental changes.

Magical power is limited to simple things it can do.

On top of that, a means that might be effective comes to mind.

Namely—separation of substances affected by magical power.

Magical power can change mass and move freely.

Of course, once it is separated from the body, it becomes autonomous, so commands cannot be given.

Thinking the other way, as long as it is touched, commands can be maintained.

Yes. Instead of releasing it, it should be maintained in a state of gathering magical power.

I raise my right hand and gather magical power.

I concentrate on the gathered magical power in my palm without releasing it.

I then give the command, “Collect the moisture in the air.”

And what happens?

Nothing happens, huh?

No, my hand feels wet for some reason.

Sis next to me has a face like, “Nothing is happening, is it?”

My face is getting hot, and I wish she would stop, but that’s unavoidable.

Upon further thought, it’s only natural.

The mass of magical power gathered in the palm is at most like a basketball.

The amount of water in the air within that range is negligible.

If I remember correctly, the moisture contained in one cubic meter is around 17 grams.

But it should vary depending on humidity and temperature.

Eh? Seriously?

1 gram is 1 milliliter, right?

Let’s see, with simple calculations, it’s about 30 cubic meters, and finally, it’s equivalent to one PET bottle?

Wait, wait.

Even if I spread magical power thinly to gather moisture from the air, it seems impossible with this amount.

But collecting water from underwater seems difficult too.

Moreover, even if I gather and solidify moisture from the air, isn’t it the same as lifting water from underwater?

No, that’s not necessarily true.

Lifting water from underwater would require quite a bit of energy.

It’s not an easy task to lift only the water touched by magical power.

There’s water pressure, tension, gravity—compared to detaching and lifting all of that, it seems like gathering moisture from the air would require less energy.

Thinking logically, lifting water should be easier.

But considering the nature of magical power, it seems more efficient to gather moisture from the air.

There’s only one way to find out.

For now, I’ll thinly spread the magical power to about 30 cubic meters.

Naturally, the magical power remains in contact with my palm.

I let magical power drift around, gathering moisture, and finally, I converge the magical power at my hand.

In my hand… there’s gathered water, about the size of my palm.

It’s floating in the air, making a splashing sound with each sway, but it quickly falls to the ground.

“Am, amazing! Eh? Where did the water come from!? It’s not from the lake, is it!”

Sis seemed excited again.

Yeah, I gathered moisture from the air. It seems to consume less magical power this way.

And… gathering moisture didn’t cause any significant changes.

I thought there might be some noticeable change when the atmospheric moisture disappeared, but it doesn’t feel suddenly dry. Maybe it’s because we’re near the lake, or perhaps taking away a portion of the moisture doesn’t create a significant change. If it were a more extensive area, things might be different.

If the atmospheric moisture suddenly disappeared… it might not cause much of a stir. Atmospheric moisture is a tiny amount, and there’s humidity everywhere. Maybe it’ll just feel a bit drier.

The amount of moisture I gathered with magical power was also less than I expected. It doesn’t seem like I’ve collected all the drifting moisture.

Anyway, I managed to gather atmospheric moisture.

Then I tried to see what I could do with the collected water.

First, I could shoot water. I could also impart a slight impact on the touched object. However, the power was quite low. I could only shoot or scatter it a bit, and there wasn’t much more I could do.

Water is just water. There are limitations to what water alone can do. If the duration could last a few minutes, I might be able to make an opponent suffocate by attaching water to their face. But the duration is around three to four seconds. With that, I can’t do much.

If it were a synthesized magic flare, it could last ten seconds. Well, for now, I managed to create something resembling water magic. It might come in handy in the future. It’s not bad, all things considered.

“Oh, this is interesting. I like it.”

Sis immediately started gathering water beside me. She seemed to have quickly put the advice into practice. She’s quite skillful.

Since she doesn’t have as much magical power or release capacity as I do, she can’t handle large amounts of water like I can. However, Marie seemed satisfied with even a small amount of water, manipulating it and swirling it around herself.

Really, she’s skilled. Something I can’t do.

“Well then, let’s explore around the lake for a bit. We already have a decent understanding of magic.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Huh? You don’t seem too happy about it. Even though you can use water magic.”

“Water magic, um, I’m thinking of naming it ‘Aqua.’ But the Aqua is still in the experimental stage. It can only quench thirst or provide a bit of cooling for now.”

“It doesn’t seem very usable in everyday situations. But maybe it’ll become more versatile as we learn more about it?”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s more like a ‘wait and see’ situation. We’ll decide when the time comes. For now, it’s on hold.”

“Got it, too bad. I like Aqua, though. So, why are you going to check around the lake? What for?”

“I’m thinking of finding out why the Cutthroat Trout has magical power. I don’t expect there’s anything, but just in case.”

“That’s true. It’s definitely something worth looking into. I understand. Let’s go.”

Sis and I walked around the lake together.

Come to think of it, this is the first time we’ve explored around the lake. During our magical research, Trout was the only thing we investigated.

As we circled around, we discovered that several rivers connected to the lake. Since there are mountains nearby, they likely flow from there.

In that case, something might be flowing in from those mountains.

From that day on, we traveled along the river and continued our investigation.

There was a waterfall upstream, and above that lake, there were Cutthroat Trout. However, those Trout had no magical power.

There were Trout in the rivers and lakes along the way, but once again, only the nearby lake had magical power.

What could this mean?

The question was endless, but the cause remained elusive.

After investigating for a while, I eventually gave up on determining the cause.

This was around the second week of our research.

○●○

The wind grazes my cheeks.

There’s no comfort in it, only a sense of hostility to those it passes by.

The wooden sword narrowly avoided.

I forcibly throw my body sideways, rolling to adjust my posture.

In the instant I look forward, the second strike is upon me.

In just a moment, he drew back the sword and unleashed another sword flash.

Before I could grasp the swiftness of his movement, I desperately leap backward.

But that was the wrong move.

A midair with no escape.

Before I could land, the sword wind assaults my face.

At that moment, I notice for the first time.

The blade was already in front of me.

It stopped just short, and the wind attacked as if to push it forward.

In other words, I have been killed.

I go limp, losing all strength, collapsing onto the ground.

I couldn’t even avoid it. I couldn’t defend against it.

“Not bad, but haphazard evasions won’t do. Consider two or three moves ahead. If you don’t move, your opponent will read you.”

My father looks down at me, offering advice.

Right now, I’m in the middle of sparring with him.

Though I can’t handle a sword.

So, I’m training in evasion and defense.

To use magic, it takes time to activate, and even more time to reactivate.

During that time, the enemy won’t wait.

If the number of opponents is high or if I can’t finish them off, I have no way to deal with it.

Sis isn’t always around, and I needed to come up with a solution.

So, I decided to buy time, in other words, to learn defensive techniques.

Fortunately, the gauntlets ‘Raika’ made by Glast has steel embedded in parts, allowing for defense.

From that, I thought of using magic to avoid the enemy’s attacks while molding magic and using it again.

I thought it was the ideal way to fight.

But in practice, it’s challenging.

Just avoiding the opponent’s attacks means there’s no deterrent against the opponent.

If my magic can’t be used consecutively, it might not be apparent at first glance.

But the opponent will catch on quickly.

Once that happens, during the time it takes for me to use magic again, they’ll try to kill me.

Defending against that fierce assault isn’t easy.

“Listen, Shion. Having a sword or a spear is not just about having the ability to attack anytime; it also serves as a deterrent. However, you don’t have that luxury. Knowing that it takes time for you to use magic, you’ll be vulnerable to attacks. Avoiding them continuously during that time won’t be an easy task.”

“Yeah… but, I can’t think of any other options.”

“Yeah. As you say, there might not be any other way. It’s a challenging path. However, if you master it, you can reach great heights. There aren’t many means to defend against magic, and unless it’s a formidable opponent, you’ll likely be defeated in one blow.”

Even though Dad says that, I feel like I wouldn’t be able to win even if I used magic against him. Perhaps it’s because the image of Dad being strong is ingrained in me. Anyway, this seems to be the only method for me. Thanks to lightning, I can use short-range magic, but since I can’t use weapons, I can’t employ intimidation, and the issue is that it takes nearly five seconds for the magic to activate. Even if I reduce the amount of magical power, the time it takes to use it continuously remains the same. There’s nothing I can do about the time until release, even if I try to think of some ideas. Anyway, mastering evasion techniques is essential. I have no choice but to continue like this.

“Next is Marie. Even if the opponent is Shion, don’t hold back.”

“Y-Yeah, I got it.”

It looks like my sister is going to be my sparring partner. While she’s not as tough as Dad, both of them are way above my level. Oh well, I’ll undoubtedly end up covered in bruises. Despite feeling a bit gloomy, I continued with my training—training my magical power, researching magic, self-discipline, investigating magical power, and handling guild requests. I continued with those days.