Chapter 18: Magic Lecture

“You want to use magic?”

A few days had passed since I bought my house.

I was talking to Liluria and Sylha about wanting to use magic.

“Yeah. I mean, who wouldn’t want to use magic? It’s awesome! I want to pull off some cool spells too.”

I may dream of being a NEET, but I’m still a guy.

Just thinking that I might have some hidden power sleeping inside me is enough to get me all excited.

Maybe—just maybe—I can use magic. My chest swells with hope as I ask the two of them to teach me.

“Huh? Ao, you’re telling me you haven’t even checked your magic aptitude at your age? That’s like… basic. Every kid gets tested, you know?”

Sylha gives me a look of disbelief upon hearing that I’ve never even had my aptitude checked.

So, in this world, it’s normal for everyone to get tested as kids, huh?

“Ao’s got a bit of an unusual background, you see? So, that part’s still pending.”

Liluria, who knows that I was summoned through the Hero Summoning, skillfully brushes off the topic.

Honestly, I think we could tell Sylha about it, but for some reason, we just haven’t found the right moment.

Well, the fewer people who know, the better.

Telling Liluria was already an exception.

“I see… Ao, you’ve been through a lot, huh?”

Sylha, misunderstanding my situation in the most dramatic way possible, gives me a warm, pitying smile and starts patting my head.

Hmm, getting head pats from an older girl… not bad.

While I try to keep a straight face and secretly enjoy Sylha’s affection, Liluria suddenly throws a punch straight at my face.

ZUDOOON!

“Wha—hey! What the hell?! That was dangerous!”

“Oh my, my apologies~? I thought I saw a fly buzzing around, but it seems I was mistaken.”

Who the hell throws a full-force punch at a fly?!

If I didn’t have my cheat, my nose would be gone!

Ever since we cleared that cave request, Liluria’s possessiveness and dependency on me have been growing stronger by the day.

She gets jealous over the tiniest things.

“Wow~! Ao, you’re so tough~!”

And the very cause of that jealousy, Sylha, seems to be thoroughly entertained by our little exchange.

She’s clapping her hands pachi-pachi while barely holding back her laughter.

“By the way, Sylha, what kind of magic can you use? I saw you flying the other day—was that magic?”

“Ding-ding-ding! That’s right! My magic is wind-based. I can use wind to do stuff like float around like this.”

Sylha kicks up a powerful gust beneath her feet and rises about a meter into the air.

Whoa! That’s so cool!

If I had wind magic, could I pull off those midair martial arts moves I’ve always dreamed of?!

“For now, take this monster core in your hand.”

Liluria hands me a core, and I grip it in my right hand.

“This core already has magic power infused into it. Even if you don’t know how to use magic, as long as you have the aptitude, you should be able to cast a spell with it.”

“Now, look over there—you see that stone? Try focusing on it and commanding it to do something, like ‘Move,’ ‘Break,’ whatever. If you have aptitude, something should happen.”

I see.

So the idea is to trigger magic first and figure out my aptitude from there.

I squeeze the core tightly and focus on the stone.

“Levitate!”

Shiiiiiin.

…Guess I don’t have an aptitude for levitation magic.

Alright, next.

“Break!”

Shiiiiiin.

“Burn!” “Get wet!” “Get heavier!” “Vanish!” “Turn into a cookie!”

Shiiiiiiiiiiin.

“Haah, haah, haah, haah. I’m exhausted.”

“Well, no wonder you’re tired after screaming like that—you could’ve just mumbled it, you know?”

I wish you’d told me that beforehand.

I’d mistakenly thought that if I shouted louder, I could unleash more powerful magic.

“This… really means you’ve got zero aptitude, huh?”

Sylha, who had been calmly observing both me and the stone, said that with a note of regret.

Oh, man.

I came all the way to another world, and having zero magic aptitude is just not acceptable.

“Don’t be so down, Ao. People with aptitude are the rare ones—if I recall correctly, maybe one in a thousand?”

“One in a thousand?!”
“Then I guess there’s nothing I can do about it.”

I’m neither a chosen one nor do I have that heroic spirit of seizing opportunities. I was born a commoner and will die a commoner—in short, I’m nothing more than a mob character.

A mob like me shouldn’t be able to use magic at all. Mobs are meant to remain as they are, serving as the supporting cast for those who possess it.

“Maybe we should try out a special category of magic, just to be sure?”

“Special category?”
There’s no way a mob like me could possibly have the aptitude for something so exceptional.

“Isn’t it a waste of time? I just can’t imagine I have any of that.”
“Come on, since we’ve got the chance, let’s give it a shot. If you do have the aptitude, you’ll be in luck!”

Well, if the two magic teachers say so, I guess I’ll try.

“Alright then… To start, I’m going to drop the stone. When I do, just focus on willing it to stop, okay?”

With that, Sylha released the stone she’d been holding high above her head and let it drop to the ground.

The stone fell, drawn down by gravity.
As I watched, I casually muttered,

“Stop!”

—And at that very moment, the stone in free fall came to a complete halt.

“Wha—?!”
“No way…?!”

The stone hung motionless in mid-air at about the height of Sylha’s knees—clearly under the influence of magic.

Both Liluria and Sylha were left speechless by the result.

“…What kind of magic is this?”

After about ten seconds of silence, the two finally answered:

“Time magic!!”

～～～～

Later, after a detailed investigation, I confirmed that I do indeed have an aptitude for time magic.

Liluria had once mentioned that time mages are as rare as the black wizards who manifest only once in a century—just imagine how incredible that is.

I never imagined that a lowly mob like me could end up with such an outrageous magic…!

“But your magical power is ridiculously low,”
“Yeah, I know—I have very little magic power too, but yours is only about one-tenth of mine.”

However, it seems that the magic power available in my body for casting spells is extremely limited. Time magic is notorious for its heavy consumption of magical power. In this case, it’s nothing short of a wasted treasure.

“Well, I hardly ever get the chance to use magic anyway, so it’s fine. When push comes to shove, Liluria will handle things.”

“Yeah, right? I’m Ao’s maid, after all. If you, my master, say so, I’ll do something about it!”

Liluria placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.
Ah, when she strikes that pose, her already ample bust is emphasized to a ridiculous degree…

“But if word gets out that you’re a time mage, I’m sure all sorts of nations will come to poach you—maybe even kidnap you.”
“Ki-kidnapping? Me?!”
“Yeah. There’s still so much we don’t know about rare magic, and time magic is extremely useful. I’m sure some countries would resort to any means necessary to get their hands on it!”

Isn’t that terrifying?!
If that happens, there’s no way I’ll be able to continue my laid-back NEET life!

“Isn’t there any way to erase magical aptitude?!”
“Erasing it would be such a waste! If it were me, I’d use it to make a fortune!”

“I don’t need fame, money, or power. As long as I can remain peacefully a NEET, I’m satisfied.”
“I’ve always wondered, though—what exactly do you mean by ‘NEET’? That word gives off such an ominous vibe.”

Ominous? What is ominous about it!

NEET is the most peaceful profession in the world—one that contributes to global harmony, you know? They don’t engage in cutthroat promotions, nor do they brag about their academic achievements or incomes. They don’t even have children or partners, so there’s no baggage whatsoever. Experts say that if everyone became a NEET, all the world’s needless conflicts would simply vanish.

“Well, that aside—so? There’s really no way to erase it?”

At that, Liluria leaned in close to my ear and whispered,

“Since I couldn’t get rid of my own aptitude for black magic, there’s no way such a method exists.”

I suppose she’s right. Even royalty, using the full might of their nation, couldn’t erase it. It’s safe to assume that no such method exists.

So that means I’ll have to live with this troublesome, ticking landmine of a magic for the rest of my life!?
This is just the worst.

“Maybe if I cut out part of my brain, something might change?”

I don’t know if they even perform lobotomy surgeries in this world, but surely some mad scientist is researching something like that somewhere. At this point, that’s the only option I’ve got left!

“Ugh, how much do I hate this!?”

Liluria, who has also been tormented by the existence of magic, cast me a sympathetic glance, while Sylha looked at me as if to say, “What the hell is he even talking about?”

For now, it’s clear that getting rid of one’s magical aptitude is too difficult. So all I can do now is pray that the fact I’m a time mage doesn’t become common knowledge.

“Both of you, keep this information a secret, please. I just want to live and die freely.”

They both solemnly nodded in agreement.

Sigh.
I thought using magic would be fun—after all, that’s why I signed up for these lessons. So why does it always end up like this?