A Lesson of Magic
魔法の講義
After finishing work and the constant troubles between nobles and commoners, I finally got through the day. With the day over, I finally got to indulge myself with the only relief in this academy -books.
The facility I was heading is the only library of the Western Area. There I took care of the books left piled on the tables by the student readers. As part of my work, I then took those piled books and returned them to their respective shelves based on this world’s categories.
With heightened speed, practiced precision and fluid motion I easily brought the books to their right shelves and finished the work fast. Once that was out of the way, I decided to have a nice warm seat at a magic related corner and started to read some of the books about it.
As Magic is a prominent factor for the Western Area, it does not take a toddler to tell you that the most of the books are for magic. Due to that I have been thinking of reading some books related about it to learn a few things or two.
While it is true that I already have the guidance of Lunamaya-sensei, I am thinking that they may have a book to simplify her books. In my head, maybe her books are too advanced for me to handle, so I am here reading some ‘Magic for Dummies’ or anything that would help a novice like me cast simple magic.
Thankfully, they had ample of these types of books since there are an array of students enrolled at this academy who are novices much like me. But more than that, as it is life changing for my own survival, it is crucial that I learn this world’s magic.
*****
‘Miracles known as magic is one of the three Sources of Life, as bestowed by the creator of this land.’
‘Magic has three types: INCANTATION, SUMMON and SYNTHESIS’
‘INCANTATION is the most commonly used and is also known as the Casting Magic, using words to conjure phenomenon to change the reality of this world.’ Most ‘Magus’ (a word for Magician/sorcerers in this world) use this type of magic to manifest their power. For this world, even the most powerful and proficient Magus cannot use magic without spells and only ‘Summoned Heroes’ cast magic without invoking those spells.
‘SUMMON is the highest order of magic. A magic where one can either summon through a contract or a tribute to beings that will aide you in whatever you may desire as long as it is within mutual desires.’ Summons are one of the harder magic as it requires mutual trust from the ‘summoner’ and the one that is ‘summoned’.
‘SYNTHESIS is more commonly known as Alchemy, this is the process of combining two or more elements to recreate a new reality.’ This also called the foundation of magic.
According to ‘A History on Magic’. Magic started from synthesis, as people became more proficient with its usage, many geniuses developed it and eventually leading to a point in time where it progressed and evolved to the current three prong (Synthesis, Incantation and Summon) Magic Resmere has known.
‘Mana is needed to cast magic, Mana is all around us, but more importantly Mana is within us. Mana therefore equates to Magic. That is why those who have trouble controlling their Mana from within, will have troubles in learning Casting or Summoning Magic’
“Sorry if I ever doubted you Lunamaia-sensei.” Skimming through the books, I could not help but sigh. Lunamaia-sensei’s has written the exact words have on her books. I thought I could not use magic because the ones written on her books were just too advanced for me to learn. Apparently, with my MIS, casting and summoning are a bit out of my league. fuuu
Looks like I really have one choice on this matter but to learn Alchemy. This type of magic is the only thing that does not require my own Mana to aide its process of activation.
Quoting from ‘A History of Magic’ written by Almond Gallmond, before ‘Inner Mana’ was a thing, everyone started out using the Mana from the environment. After some time, the first magic ‘Saintes’ and ‘Sages’ theorized the ‘Inner Mana’ and which further developed magic. The thing that baffles researchers even today is that there are no records of these first ‘Saintes’ and ‘Sages’ that have developed the magic that people today used on the daily basis.
Well so much for the things that I can’t search and more to one I can learn. I then decided to take some of the basic books on alchemy hoping to learn from the… The fun has just begun for this book lover.
As always, the library had a good array of alchemy books that would help me in my research. Some of the books were simple while others complicated. Thankfully, all of the books I had read thus far agreed that ‘MANA’ does not need to be the owners to synthesis something. It does require some formulation and specialized tools and equipment to harness.
Now I just need to save up some of my hard earn ‘Pera’ to buy me a simple alchemy set. I was never a science enthusiast in my previous world, but I did like to experiment with a few things to sate my own curiosity. However, in this world learning Magic –more specifically Alchemy might be a lifesaving one, saving my life to be exact.
Therefore, I started to get all books about basic alchemy while staying here in this academy.
*****
Engrossed with my reading session, something or someone manifested at my rear and tried to wrap its arms around me.
“Oh, you must be the new night librarian that I have been hearing around.” Together with the arms, a voice sent me chill, I instinctively kicked and activated ‘flash step’ and instantaneously moved a few meters away from the person who had appeared from out of nowhere. “You do not have to be that jumpy.”
“!!!”
Where did she come from? I literally did not notice this person’s presence through ‘MANA’, ‘KI’ or my ‘Danger’ perception.
From my movement earlier, this person has probably, to some extent figured out my capabilities and so there is no longer a need to deny or hide it but the person who saw my agitated appearance finally moved to the light and tried to quell my anxiety.
“My name is Sera Celesti an instructor at Levantis Royal Academy.” The voice had an appearance of a black mage. Donning black robes and a pointed-hat the person who had successfully eluded my Perception Skill had a bewitching beauty and immediately introduced herself and as to why she is here, “I have heard that the new utility personnel are covering as nightshift librarian, I decided to come and see for myself.”
The woman that appeared before me seem to be called Sera Celesti and professed herself an instructor in this prestigious school, since I have only begun working here 4 days ago and the fact that I am not allowed in the teacher’s lounge, I cannot deny or affirm her claim.
The library’s illuminations casted spotlight to this self-proclaimed instructor, a rare beauty I was not able to grace in the previous world. Her height probably reaches 170 cm. She had long lustrous golden flocks that rested on the tiled floors. Her smile was seductive but her azure held a mischievous glance. Though her gilded robes were thick, you can clearly see her voluptuous and feminine physique. In short, she was an image of bewitching beauty.
.Log {
“Captain, you seem to be in a daze.”
“Stop gawking!”
}
I was not gawking… I was just… right admiring beauty. Ahem… I think her beauty might have an automatic trance effect for Grim-chan to call up to me through the system.
Anyways~
While she said, she was a Magic Instructor her overall attire was indeed supporting that it even had the royal crest of the Royal Academy.
One thing is for sure though; she is extra ordinary magic user. She was able to elude my already long ranged perception and instantaneously teleported herself in my comfort zone without my danger perception kicking until the moment she had spoken. Had she been an enemy out for my head, I would have suffered a great loss.
[Make a countermeasure for that] I immediately made a mental note to make sure I get a way to prevent such surprises ever again.
I just hope there is no trouble being involve with her, but with my luck, I guess that was useless to ask.
“I am sorry. I will make sure to clean the library faster now.” Damn, I wonder if I will get sacked for skipping on work and started to return the books to their original shelves.
“Don’t worry about it.” She just gave just another bewitching smile. “Didn’t I tell you earlier, I just wanted to see for myself who the hard worker maintaining our library.”
She then starts to pick up some of the books that had fallen on the floor when I instinctively flew away from her.
“Y-you…” while skimming to a certain book, her eyes grew wide and immediately run towards me… more like flew towards me. “W-where did you get this book!?”
“Ha?” ah, now that she mentioned it, I was also skimming information from Lunamaia’s book to cross-reference information I read about magic. “I found it in my journey awhile back.”
“This is one of books handwritten by the ‘Magic Saintess Lunamaia’… costing an entire kingdoms fortune…” I knew Lunamaia was no ordinary mage, but really, Magic Saintess that’s probably one of the pinnacles of magic title a mage could attain. “I must confiscate… no please let me borrow it…”
She was bowing now dismissing the elegant demeanor she had earlier eager to borrow one copy of the book. She is already acting like this for just one book, I wonder how she would react when she finds out I have an entire collection of Lunamaia-sensei’s handwritten magic books, not to mention her diaries in my possession.
“I could lend it to you…” while I did want to get a few things in return as rent for one book like maybe having me enrolled as a student in LRA, but she’s just a teacher she probably does not have that kind of authority. “In return, could I ask you to please teach me Alchemy?”
“You sure you don’t want my body?” after blinking, a few times she gave me her childishly seductive grin.
“Please give me back my book!” She immediately apologizes when I asked for the book back. What is she thinking? “If you want to get sacked for the act of lasciviousness, go down by yourself.”
“Alright, the price will be a lesson for basic Alchemy, you sure you don’t want a full package lesson of… magic…?” her voice trailed off after looking at me for a few seconds. “Mana Intoxication Syndrome, is it?”
“What is MIS, really? Is there a cure for it?”
“No.” I had prepared myself for it, but the blow was still heavy. “Afterall, MIS is no decease it is rather a damage to your Mana Reservoir and therefor cannot be fixed nor is there a cure for it.”
As an analogy she then lets me picture out how the relationship of MIS to the MANA Reservoir is. It would seem that the Mana Reservoir is considered a specialized bottle acting as container, regulator, and purifier for MANA. One more peculiarity of this specialized bottle inside our bodies is that it cannot and must-not-be-touched.
Mana Intoxication Syndrome or MIS for short is a crack that leaks unpurified MANA to our system making it poison to the body, since it cannot and must not be touched, it could not be fixed.
“But… I am guessing you already have a vague idea about this.” Of course I did, I have read about it through the complicated version in Lunamaia-sensei’s books. Teacher Sera just somehow simplified it through that analogy. “That is the reason for choosing to be taught Alchemy… hmmm… looks like you are smarter than most of the student’s your age.”
“And quite gullible too.” She continues to tease me somehow. “What would you do if I took this book instead, leaving you with my Spatial Magic.”
“That probably will not happen.” as long as that book’s ownership is mine it will return to ‘The CABINET’ through the Carry to Ship Skill after leaving my side a few meters away, but since I can’t exactly tell her that... “I don’t think a beautiful TEACHER like you will ever steal a book.”
“Me, beautiful, ara~ ma.” She is blushing quite beautifully. I wonder if she has never been praised before. “Okay I will offer you the knowledge I have about Alchemy in exchange for allowing me to read Magic Saintess Lunamaia’s Grimoires.”
“My name is Ace Chronilius Bloodforte, a humble Utility Personnel of Levantis Academy.” I gave my simple introduction to my now teacher in Alchemy. “Teacher Sera Celesti, I am in your care.”
