Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Magic Air Conditioner
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"Hot...ter..."
"........"
"Lize, I want ice cream..."
"No."
"........"
This was pure hell.
I felt like I was going to die from the heat.
I was already someone who suffered a lot in the heat, and now even shaved ice was under restrictions.
Of course, it wasn't completely banned, just limited... but that was basically the same thing.
I'd already used up all five times for the week.
"Lize... really, no?"
"Madam said so."
"...Lize, you're my exclusive maid."
"No."
"Lize."
"No."
"........."
All I could do was glare at Lize.
She was definitely my exclusive maid, so when did she get so close to Rozalin?
No, it wasn't just closeness... when did they join forces like this?
"I never thought you'd side with Mother like this, Lize."
"Young Lady, you've had too much already."
"...About ten times a week."
"Young Lady."
"...Fine."
There was no helping it.
In this sweltering summer, I was stuck enduring it without doing anything.
I'd already hit the limit of five yesterday, and there were still four days left in the week.
Really... what was I going to do?
"...I'm off to class."
"Yes, understood."
I dragged myself out of the room, enduring the oppressive heat.
...Even in this heat, I had to attend Ashley's lessons.
I wanted to sneak out and get some shaved ice, but Lize followed me every time I went out.
I couldn't even slip away to eat it in secret.
This was... truly depressing.
"...Teacher, I'm here."
Anyway, I'd come for Ashley's lesson.
As always, it wasn't really a formal class—just coming to chat with the wide-awake Ashley.
"Oh, you're here?"
"Yes, Teacher. It's so hot out—have you been managing okay?"
"Hot?"
"...Pardon?"
"My room isn't hot."
"Uh...?"
For a moment, I had no idea what she meant by that, but she was right.
Unlike the rest of the mansion, including the hallways, Ashley's room was cool.
It was so naturally cool that I hadn't even noticed at first.
I'd assumed her room would be just as hot as everywhere else and was already exhausted from the heat, so it hadn't registered.
"Why... is it so cool in here?"
"Because it's cool? I can't sleep if it's hot."
"Well, that's true...?"
No, that wasn't the question I meant.
But her straightforward answer made me concede the point.
...Yeah, fair enough.
"That's not what I meant... how did you do it? Some kind of magic...?"
I couldn't help asking out of genuine curiosity.
I used magic to make a breeze in summer too, but I couldn't create a room this naturally cool.
"There's no visible magic circle, and it doesn't feel like standard spells. What magic are you using?"
"Oh, that?"
"Yes. I've been dying of heat lately—what spell is it?"
"Hmm... come over here for a sec."
"Sure."
I had no idea what it was, but I sat down anyway.
We usually sat like this for lessons.
Nothing unusual about it, except today felt a little different.
Ashley normally sat across from me, but today she was right next to me...?
She did sit beside me sometimes...
"...?"
"Magic circles go like this first..."
"...Ah, okay."
Ashley sat beside me and moved her hands around, conjuring a magic circle on the desk.
She really was skilled at magic.
She could hide the circle completely from view.
Even when I cast spells, anything beyond low-tier showed the circle plainly.
"The spell I'm using now overlaps several mid-tier magics, starting with the low-tier chill spell as the base, then layering others one by one..."
Ashley began breaking down and explaining the circle step by step.
It was... definitely complicated.
The advanced spells I'd learned from her were mostly single spells.
Not combinations—just one pure advanced spell.
The concepts were a bit tricky in various ways.
Casting mid-tier spells simultaneously was totally different from overlapping them into one spell.
"Applying the mid-tier deceleration spell over the chill makes the chill deploy slowly, so..."
"........"
Hmm.
Ashley herself acknowledged my talent for magic.
But this lesson was a little tough.
It might've even been easier to just learn a straight advanced spell.
And it was built on low- and mid-tier basics.
It was challenging in every way.
"Of course, layering and applying one magic over another is legitimately hard, so take it slow. For now, putting a mid-tier circle over this chill circle..."
Still, I listened quietly.
Difficulty and confusion aside, I was truly interested in the magic she was using.
It was basically air conditioning magic!
With this, I could survive this damnable summer heat.
I had to learn it.
"So, Teacher, does overlapping any magic work like this?"
"Of course not. Opposite attributes are notoriously tricky to layer. You can visualize stacking circles in your mind, but manifesting and controlling them is full of issues."
"Hmm..."
It was a different vibe from our usual lessons.
Normally, I asked about advanced spells or ones from magic textbooks.
"Spells like downpour or fireball among mid-tier would have issues if overlapped, right?"
"Exactly. Good grasp. Total opposites in attributes cause big problems."
As she praised me, Ashley started swaying her body slowly.
During lessons, whenever she was in a good mood, she had this habit of gently rocking and shaking.
Swaying softly with a pleased smile.
" Hehe..."
Unlike her usual sleepiness, when fully awake, she smiled like this plenty.
"Teacher, but this feels... really hard for me."
"Is it? Layering magic is as tough as advanced spells, honestly. It's not common for daily use—more typical in magic tools."
"But magic tools don't require thinking up spells like the human mind does."
"Right, you just engrave the circles during production."
Maybe because I wasn't fully getting it, but Ashley seemed delighted by my engagement.
She was enjoying this more than I'd expected.
Hmm... come to think of it, I'd known Ashley for a while now.
Since meeting Karen at age eight, she'd been teaching me magic ever since—definitely a long time.
"It's a spell I developed myself because the heat made sleep impossible in weather like this lately. Never thought I'd end up teaching it to someone."
"...You made this spell, Teacher?"
"Yeah, started researching last year because it was so hot, but summer hasn't come yet... Camellia?"
"...Teacher."
"Yeah?"
I'd been mulling it over a bit.
Ashley didn't love wandering outside much and preferred lounging indoors, especially in her own room.
But I couldn't just leave such a capable, pretty teacher—who invented air conditioning magic and could use it right away—to idle at home.
"Let's go on a trip."
I said it while looking at her.
"...Huh?"
"I'm planning a getaway with friends soon for summer vacation. I want you to come too, Teacher."
"...That's sudden...?"
I knew it was.
But even so, leaving her behind was no longer an option.
We were thinking of mountains a bit away from the south— with this magic, we could enjoy even more comfort there... no, an even better stay.
Not just AC, but more varied, useful, comfortable spells... just imagining it made me happy thinking of the trip.
"What do you say?"
"Bu...t won't I miss sleep...?"
"No. It's not for activities—just relaxing. The sea sounds nice, but the sun's too intense and crowded. We're going to the mountains to chill all day."
"I see...?"
Maybe hearing "all day" relaxation appealed to her.
Ashley looked quite pleased.
So very Ashley.
"What do you think?"
"The mountains..."
"Isn't it great? Quieter than crowded, noisy cities, with trees and nature—bound to have good quality ambient mana too."
"That does... sound nice..."
And right on cue, class time was winding down.
Talking magic made it fly by faster than usual.
So Ashley was starting to get sleepy... and in this state, she was easier to handle than you'd think.
"The temperature won't be too high, just pleasantly warm in an open space—perfect for sleeping..."
"Ooh..."
"How would it feel to nap in a place like that?"
"Pretty... intriguing..."
Her eyes were drooping more.
Her head swayed forward and side to side.
And hearing this, her body sways slowed but continued, so she wasn't opposed.
"So, will you come with us, Teacher?"
" Maybe..."
"We'll take the finest carriage so you can sleep comfortably en route."
"Ooh... nice... I like... cool... ness..."
With that, Ashley drifted off to sleep.
Her head resting on my shoulder.
So... easy.
Ashley outside of lessons was... really straightforward to deal with.
"........"
I really wanted to say I'd acquired magic AC out loud.
But with her right there, it felt too much.
I'd tell her back in her room later.
"...Oh."
Wait— I needed to ask her to install the same AC magic in my room too.
"...Sigh."
...She was already asleep, and waking her in this state was near impossible.
Even if I did, she wouldn't easily agree to anything bothersome... so now, only one option.
Wait until the next magic lesson.
"...This sucks."
Sure, the trip would be blissful, but I'd have to tough out the next few days like this.
...My own dumb fault, but still depressing.