Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world - - Chapter 55

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 55   Don’t rush

Before evening, I returned to Glast’s house. The usual sounds of iron being forged and the scent of charcoal and burning wood from the forge were absent. The still and quiet air filled the space.

No one was on the first floor, and there was no welcoming voice when I stepped in. Glast was in the process of moving to a different store. He occasionally comes to check on us and sometimes takes care of my sister. It’s appreciated that Glast, who also has his own life, does this.

I went upstairs and entered the room.

“Oh, welcome back, Shion-kun.”

Mom was taking care of my sister by her bedside. She had been sitting on a chair, seemingly by her side for a while. She looked tired; her smile lacked strength, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

She has been taking care of my sister all this time, in my absence and Dad’s. It’s natural for her to do so, and I can understand the mental strain.

Dad is the lord. He needs to take care of the subjects, and for a long time, he cannot be present. Therefore, every two or three days, he comes here, then goes back to the village, repeating this cycle.

The major issue is the night monsters, the Wraiths, that started appearing since the day the red light curtains emerged. Recently, the activities of the monsters have become more active, and their numbers are increasing.

That’s why Dad’s presence, who can fight and give immediate orders, is crucial. Istria is relatively safe, but the village needs to devise its own measures.

There are no guards, and Dad, being the local lord, doesn’t have private soldiers. Whatever happens, the villagers must handle it themselves, and if a problem is beyond their control, they have to request assistance from Duke Balkh, who is the lord of Istria.

As an autonomous region, if Dad is not around, the villagers would be anxious, and if monsters appear, there might be casualties.

Originally, anticipating such situations, Dad entrusted various tasks to the villagers, encouraged self-reliance, and created unique jobs or work environments for them.

However, it doesn’t mean everything runs smoothly without Dad. If my mom, my sister, and I temporarily move to Istria, the villagers would be in trouble.

For this reason, Dad worries about us but returns to the village, takes care of the villagers, and performs his duties as the lord. Every few days, he spends several hours coming to Istria, then goes back to work.

I think it’s tough.

My mom is the same. Despite the hardships, she tries not to show it on her face and doesn’t want to worry me.

And,

“Are you okay? If it’s tough, you can rest,” she says, smiling as if to say she’s fine. When I see Mom and Dad like that, my chest tightens.

“No, I’m not tired at all. Mom, you haven’t rested for a long time, right? You can sleep. I’ll wake you up when it’s dinner time.”

“But…”

“I slept enough at night, and I took breaks in between. It’s okay. Go to sleep.”

“…Okay, I understand. I’m sorry, Shion.”

“Don’t apologize. No one is at fault.”

“That’s right. No one is at fault. It’s not anyone’s fault.”

Mom glances at my sister for a moment, narrowing her eyes with a sad expression. However, it lasts only for a moment, and Mom quickly puts on a smile.

“I moved her body earlier, Marie should be fine for a while. I’ve fed her and wiped her… So, move her body after about two hours. Also, Mom is sleeping in the next room, so if anything happens, wake me up.”

“Yeah, I understand. Rest assured and take a break.”

Mom had a smile on her face, but soon, her expression distorted. She seemed so sad that she could cry at any moment. With that, Mom hugged me tightly.

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry… Shion. I’m burdening you so much. You’re still a child, and I’m sorry for relying on you like this. I want you to live more freely… but it’s just…”

Mom’s body trembled slightly.

I don’t know what it’s like to be a parent.

But I understand adult feelings.

Relying on a child. Causing trouble for a child. Making a child unhappy.

A decent adult dislikes these things.

They feel sorry for the child, pity them, and regret it.

If I were in the opposite position, I’d probably feel the same way.

I gently patted Mom’s back with a calm heart.

“I’m not going through anything difficult, and I’m not really burdened. It’s true. I’m not trying to be considerate; I just want to do my best if it’s something I can do. For the sake of Sister, Mom, and Dad. It’s just that. … It’ll be okay. Everything will work out. It’s going to be okay, Mom.”

I spoke gently and slowly, as if soothing a child.

Doing something like this might disturb Mom’s heart.

Despite the anxiety, it was the only thing I could do.

After a few seconds, Mom gently moved away from me. Her face wasn’t crying.

“Thank you, Shion-kun…”

Mom doesn’t belittle herself.

She knows that if parents become self-deprecating in front of their children, it only hurts the child more.

So, without saying anything more, Mom touched my cheek and left the room.

Her back looked smaller than usual.

I realized for the first time that there is nothing more heart-wrenching than seeing a parent in a weakened state.

I sat in the chair and gazed at Sister’s face.

“I will definitely save you, so don’t worry, Sister.”

She showed no reaction.

Even when I touched her, only the cold temperature of her body responded.

She faintly opened her eyes, only to gaze up at the ceiling.

There was no magic power in her body.

I gathered a tiny amount of magic power in my hands.

The light of magical power touched Sister’s hand.

But there was no reaction.

Unlike mild cases of Lazy syndrome, Sister currently had no magic power.

Perhaps that’s why there was no magical power response.

Whether it was invisible or there was absolutely no response.

Either way, the contact with magic power of around level 10 seemed to have no effect on Sister.

Slowly and steadily, I advanced my research and treatment.

Don’t panic.

Don’t demand immediate results.

Recall the experience when you developed magic.

Don’t allow hasty judgments even if you crave results.

Know that there are no shortcuts if you want something.

I know.

That’s why I’m walking the same path.

I forcibly restrained my hands, which had begun to tremble slightly.

I have to forget the anxiety.

I have to cast aside the worst-case scenarios that sometimes creep into my mind.

If I don’t do that, I won’t be able to move forward.

○●○

I finished dinner with Mom.

I let her sleep a little longer, so dinner was late.

In this world with few light sources and no entertainment, people go to bed early at night.

I used to use this time for magic training, but most of the time, I just go to sleep.

After saying goodbye to Mom, I moved to the guest room and slipped into bed.

I stared at the window.

I kept my eyes open until I got sleepy.

It had become a habit over the past five days.

The night sky.

In the past four days, the sky had never turned red even once.

○●○

“Doraaaaa!”

With a fierce spirit, Rafina delivers a thrust.

Her swordplay is tremendous, making it difficult to even follow.

However, her sword flashes are not for attacking but for evasion and parrying.

The opponent is a War Kobold.

A Kobold species as strong as a Goblin Warrior.

Among the small-framed Kobolds, it’s a combat type with a massive build.

In its left and right hands, it grips rusted red cleavers.

It rampages around, drooling saliva from its mouth.

A single blow would be fatal.

Yet Rafina evades all of its attacks.

Indeed, not wearing armor has increased her agility.

Compared to the first day, today, three days later, Rafina’s armor has become lighter.

Whether she learned from her mistakes or not, she hasn’t worn heavy armor since then.

Instead, she walks a delicate line between looking like a knight or not.

The coat she’s wearing must have been issued to knights.

Thanks to that, she looks neat and tidy.

If asked if it’s an outfit for battle, one couldn’t help but shake their head.

It looks more suited for a ceremony.

Even so, in her graceful fighting stance, one doesn’t feel the brutality of a killing spree.

Perhaps because she hasn’t taken a single hit.

Thanks to that, there isn’t a single stain on her clothes.

There are only two enemies left.

Rafina is facing off against a War Kobold.

And I’m ‘facing off’ against another War Kobold.

Our side has already finished.

“Garuaaa!”

The War Kobold screams in agony, saliva flying around.

Ignoring it, I channel magic into the monster’s arm.

Monsters are enemies, no room for sympathy, but it still feels uncomfortable to be causing harm.

The monster seems incapacitated due to the high-pressure electrical current.

To ensure it couldn’t move, I had given it Aqua Bolts.

Since one hit didn’t work, I struck it with the ‘Continuous Magic’ about three times.

Even the large monster couldn’t resist this.

I grab the War Kobold’s arm as it lies on the ground and gradually channel magic.

“10, 15, 20, 25.”

I verbalize the approximate amount of magical power, letting Brigit record its reactions.

Given her expertise with monsters, she should notice any obvious abnormalities or changes quickly.

Her knowledge might help her notice something.

“30, 35, 40.”

The Kobold screams, I calmly state the numbers, Brigit observes the monster with a serious expression, and Rafina battles the other Kobold while making strange noises.

From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem like an abnormal situation, but we are entirely focused.

As for why Rafina hasn’t defeated the Kobold yet, she is intentionally holding back.

She is quite strong and could probably defeat the Kobold before me.

However, that wouldn’t allow for a live experiment.

So, she is buying time for us.

I told her not to overdo it, but it seems she still has plenty of room to spare.

“45, 50.”

The Kobold’s arm changes color, emitting smoke, and eventually turns ashen, as if scorched by fire.

“Gugrua, Galguuu!”

A scream follows, and the Kobold’s arm begins to char.

The Kobold dissolves, leaving only a part of its body visible.

In an instant, the magic that had invaded its arm eats away at half of the Kobold’s body, causing it to collapse lifeless on the ground, emitting a putrid smell.

The nauseating odor of blood and organs fills the air, but Brigit and I pay it no mind.

“50. For regular Kobolds and Goblins, it was around 30, so it seems the required magical power varies depending on their strength.”

“Yeah. And when magic contacts or is poured onto them, even a small amount can cause the skin to char, similar to a burn. It’s not exactly the same symptoms… more like a ‘purification’ feeling, as Shion mentioned?”

“The reaction might be different for humans.”

“…If we try a slightly larger amount of magic on a person, we might understand. But the risk of causing injury is high.”

Dealing with humans is different. Giving strong magic to a human may not produce the same symptoms. If we give around 20 magical power and the affected area gets corroded or decays, it’s not an unimaginable scenario. One might question the relevance of testing magic reactions on humans when the reactions between humans and monsters differ. However, conducting experiments with a subject as close to humans as possible is essential, as seen in animal testing. Of course, conducting experiments on humans would advance research more reliably in the case of treating humans, but that’s not feasible. Therefore, we must confirm as much as possible before that, reducing the chances of failure and increasing the likelihood of success.

“For now, we just need to establish a foundation and create as many precedents as possible, right?”

“…Trying a lot of things, huh? I think it’s similar, but…”

“We need to do what we can. I want to eliminate any uncertainties.”

It’s said that if you strike a stone bridge too much, it will break. The challenge is determining how much to strike. For me, that ‘how much’ corresponds to time. If I research too extensively, there’s a chance I won’t make it in time. There are still relatively few people affected by the Laziness syndrome. It’s a new illness that emerged just a few months ago. That means there’s a possibility of sudden changes in conditions and the current state not persisting. Therefore, there’s no time to be leisurely. But rushing can be dangerous. I’m constantly moving back and forth between those extremes. The crucial thing is to understand. Understand the situation thoroughly, anticipate the worst, the best, and everything in between. Keep thinking, keep moving, and do everything I can with all my might. That is the mission given to me and the only means to fulfill my wish.

“Hey! Are you two casually chatting over there? Can I finish it off now!?”

“Oh, sorry. Go ahead and finish it off.”

Feeling a bit apologetic is inevitable because I understand Rafina’s strength. She might seem a bit foolish, but her strength is undeniable. You shouldn’t belittle people who help you. I need to express gratitude to Rafina, Brigit, Cole, and everyone else who is assisting me. Rafina gracefully defeated the Kobold with a powerful blow. She sheathed her sword and approached us with a radiant expression.

“Haha, how about that? This is my, nyaa!”

She fell.

She fell splendidly.

Looking at her feet, there was nothing there.

Only fallen leaves covered the ground.

There was no place to trip over.

Without offering any help, Brigit and I just watched Rafina.

You might think it’s heartless.

However, this situation has already happened five times.

We helped her at first, but now we don’t feel like helping anymore.

Rafina stood up as if nothing had happened. She brushed off the dirt on her body in silence and placed her hand on her hip.

“Hehe! Truly, there are Kobold traps in such unexpected places! Those guys are quite clever! Be careful, you two!”

She’s not very good at feigning, but we didn’t say anything.

It’s pointless to say anything.

Even if we say there’s nothing on the ground, she would retort with, “Are you saying it’s become invisible!? What a mysterious trap!” or “Look carefully, it’s right here, see, this stone!” while showing a small rock.

Unlike Cole, Rafina is prone to strong beliefs, and no matter how much we explain or present logical arguments, she doesn’t listen.

So, for the sake of convenience, we decided to just leave her alone.

“Alright! Let’s go! This time, I’ll win without falling for any traps!”

She strides forward with large steps.

“Weird people…”

As Brigit muttered, I was about to say, “You too,” but I kept my mouth shut.

They are odd individuals, but they are cooperating, and they aren’t bad people.

Ideally, it would be nice to have more normal companions, but I can’t be picky.

I felt like I might get teased by my sister, but it’s probably just my imagination.

I nodded slightly as I looked at the backs of the two walking ahead.

If we continue like this, the path will surely open up.

Believing that, I followed behind the two.