The Magic of Basic Rocket Delivery

I was surprised by the magical delivery that utterly transcended the basic rocket delivery of magic, but since I had already come this far, I decided to proceed with the lesson. After all, they say to strike while the iron is hot. I sat Airi down at the dining table and began the class. Camellia, who happened to have nothing else to do, said she wanted to watch me teach and took a seat beside us. I wasn’t charging tuition, but I allowed her to observe as a special service.

When I opened the book to prepare for the lesson, the table of contents immediately caught my interest. It really was a masterpiece. The table of contents was packed with curses directed at me.

Just what kind of karma had that Werner guy accumulated? He looked so well-behaved on the surface. And then he dumped it all on me and ran away. To the person who wrote these curses—‘I Want to Stab Werner’s Stomach’—I don’t know who you are, but even if everyone throws stones at you, I’ll stand by your side. Werner really is a son of a bitch.

“Master, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

Still, I’d really appreciate it if you refrained from stabbing my stomach. I’m sick and tired of paying for sins I never committed. My head is already about to explode from dealing with Airi and my fiancée. If the stomach-stabbing faction joins in too, I might actually die from stress. And if that happens, I’ll chase that bastard Werner all the way to the depths of hell and stab his stomach myself.

“Anyway, I explained the basics of magic last time, right?”

“Yes. There are ten attributes, and magic is using communication with the spirits of each attribute while paying mana as the price, right?”

It sounded complicated, but it was basically like Pokémon with only ten types. For example, the lightning spirit was like Pikachu. If I shouted Hey Pikachu, fry that guy to death! it would listen. And the mana was like snacks or food given to the spirits.

“That’s right. Then here’s a question. If you’re asking the spirits for a favor, why does magical development even exist? Wouldn’t it be enough to just ask them to do it?”

“Ah, that’s… ummm… I don’t know after all.”

She had looked like she was about to answer confidently, so I thought she knew the correct answer.

“It’s because the spells that mages use today are nothing more than formulas that past mages developed in advance. For example, even if you chant something like ‘O lightning, dance and make me an omelet,’ nothing will happen. Only when someone creates a spell through cooperation with the spirits and it is accepted by the Spirit King does it become true magic.”

It sounded complicated, but basically, it wasn’t something you could just slap together like creating an original character. You had to submit the magic spell through the spirit in charge dispatched by the attribute department, and only after it was accepted by the being known as the Spirit King would it be registered as magic.

“Ah, so that’s why mages usually lock themselves in their labs and only do research.”

“Yeah. That’s why mages tend to have terrible social skills… Wait, disciple, you don’t know any mages other than me, right?”

“Ah… I saw it in the newspaper!”

“Oh, is that so?”

Without exception, the tribe known as mages locked themselves in labs to develop ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠magic. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That was why the mage community was such a mess.

“Then do all mages develop their own magic?”

“Well, if you develop even one in a hundred years, you’re considered skilled. If you’re lucky, you might make two or three. That’s the norm.”

“Then how many has Master developed?”

“After I started living with you, I barely did any research, let alone associate with other mages… The number of magics I developed from age ten to seventeen…”

“Since Master is a genius, five? Or maybe six? How many?”

“Two hundred?”

Airi covered her mouth in an exaggerated show of surprise. That was why Werner had been called a genius mage. While others took decades or even a century to develop a single spell, he had created one per week. That middle-school syndrome title Guide of Darkness was one of them. Depending on which attribute Werner’s new magic belonged to, the mage community would burst into flames. They would clamor for him to develop new magic for their own attributes. It was exactly like the people in online RPGs screaming for buffs for their own characters. That’s the easiest way to understand it.

Because of that, there were countless mages who wanted him as a son-in-law. When he was thirteen, he had been restrained by a magic sealing tool and nearly forced into marriage, only to be rescued by Camellia. All the mages involved in Werner’s kidnapping had been slaughtered by Zeke and Melchior.

Setting aside how amazing Werner was, I needed to teach Airi magic.

“So, Airi, what were your attributes again?”

“Flame, Earth, Ice, Wind, and Wood.”

Wow, her attribute spread was completely KaiserGreymon.

“I see. Then follow me outside.”

At my words, Airi cheerfully replied “Okay~” and followed. Camellia, who had been quietly observing my lesson, came along as well. We reached the small garden we used as a training ground. I chanted spells toward the wooden training dummies I had set up.

A fireball flew out and incinerated one wooden dummy. A hand made of compacted earth smashed another dummy to pieces. An ice arrow whistled through the air and pierced straight through a dummy. A powerful gust that whipped my hair around blew one dummy away. Tree roots burst from the ground, entangled a dummy, and crushed it.

“See? Those were the basic low-level spells that serve as the foundation for each attribute.”

“Wow, Master, that’s amazing!”

“If you manage to succeed with even one of them right away, I’ll grant you a single wish.”

“Really, Master? No take-backs!”

Airi beamed with an adorable smile and spread her hand toward the wooden dummies. Still, she would definitely fail. In the original story, Airi’s first attempt at magic had been a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spectacular failure.

“O earth, gather and strike.”

A hand made of earth appeared and slammed down on a wooden dummy, shattering it. What? Why did that succeed? Had I taught her too well? Did I actually have a talent for education?

“I got hit by this magic so many times from Master that I learned it automatically.”

Ah. I had used this spell a lot when teaching Airi. I must have used corporal punishment so much that she learned it instinctively. She wasn’t some phoenix-like character who learned techniques by getting beaten up like Kim Jeong-yeol. Really, corporal punishment is a custom that needs to disappear.

“Then you’ll grant my wish, right?”

She was definitely going to wish for my head on a platter, wasn’t she? Revenge only begets more revenge, Airi. Although, come to think of it, people only give birth to more people, so maybe it was the same thing. Airi swept her long brown hair back, looking like she was pondering what wish to make. If she just kept her mouth shut, she really was a beauty. The problem was that the moment she opened her mouth, she became an annoying little brat.

“Then how about Master acting as my pet for a whole day? I’ve wanted one for a while, but you never allowed it.”

I should have just allowed it earlier, damn it.

At that moment, Camellia, who had been watching the situation, stepped forward and spread her hand.

Together with her haughty voice, a powerful gust blew one of the wooden dummies away. Camellia had some talent for magic as well. It was just that wielding a blade was far more effective for her.

“Werner, since I used the magic too, I should have a wish right?”

You are not eligible to participate, ma’am.

Camellia approached me as I stood there in despair, stroked my head, and spoke.

“My wish is to nullify that child’s wish… Is that okay?”

The master-disciple relationship is fleeting, but older sister is eternal. Older sister… Older sister is the best.