Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Growth Arc (2)
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The meal Grandmother prepared for breakfast felt different from the usual spread.
A large hunk of meat that she must have prepared sometime beforehand was brought out from the refrigerator—
'Is the refrigerator magic too?'
It wasn't like Earth's refrigerators, but more like a stack of drawers—this world's version.
She'd brought it with her when I was little, and we'd been using it naturally ever since.
Likewise, the 'cooking flame port' where Grandmother placed her frying pan generated intense heat like an induction stove on Earth, without any visible flames.
"Grandmother, are the refrigerator and cooking flame port magic too?"
My question made Grandmother's hands pause for a moment.
"Yes, they're magic tools made with Purple Magic. Roin, you're talking about magic first thing in the morning again today."
I had been going on about magic nonstop for the past three days.
They say great expectations lead to great disappointments, but I couldn't help getting my hopes up at the thought that I might become a mage.
'Magic tools, huh. So Purple Magic is the tech magic that makes things like this? No wonder there are so many Purple Mages.'
Compared to the conveniences of daily life, technology and science didn't seem particularly advanced, but most things were handled with magic, so there was relatively little need for them.
Looking back, there were tools and facilities whose principles I'd always questioned, and they must all have been the power of Purple Magic.
'Hmm, so if I become a mage, there's a high chance it'll be Purple Magic, which means I'd be a magic engineer...'
Becoming a Purple Mage didn't seem like a bad way to make a living as a skilled laborer.
If I could just beat those 1% odds and become a mage, that is.
"Roin, if you've heard the answer, you should respond."
Grandmother, who had finished grilling the meat in the meantime, looked at me with a sigh.
I hurriedly brought up a different topic as if making an excuse.
"Ahaha... Sorry about that. But we're starting with meat first thing in the morning?"
"Aptitude testing takes a long time, and it consumes a lot of stamina when you're concentrating. It's better to eat a hearty meal beforehand."
Meat and vegetables on the plate, along with a small loaf of bread and soup.
Once again, I felt the depth of Grandmother's love in the abundance on the table.
"Itadakimasu."
After the meal, I brushed my teeth—probably another product of some Purple Magic engineer—and headed out with Grandmother to the Magic Unit building for the aptitude test.
About twenty minutes later, once we were beyond the five-minute radius around our house, everything felt unfamiliar.
My head kept swiveling left and right out of curiosity the whole way.
"What is that person watching from the watchtower?"
"They're monitoring the forest border with magic that lets them see far away."
According to Grandmother, our village was a frontier settlement near the edge of the forest.
That explained the patrols from the border guard and the watchers on the towers.
We passed a workshop labeled as such, then Grandmother's workplace, the Education Unit building, and finally, the Magic Unit building came into view.
It was a three-story structure like the Education Unit, with a small, unassuming sign that simply read 'Magic Unit'.
"Roin, are you ready? Go in and do your best."
"Yes, Grandmother. I'll do well and see you back home this evening."
"Even if it doesn't go well, you can test again at fifteen, so just relax."
With those words, Grandmother gave me a light hug and turned toward the Education Unit.
I took a deep breath and stepped into the Magic Unit building.
Kiiiii—creak.
Hmm, the door needs some oiling.
Right inside the entrance was a wall, with passages leading left and right.
Embedded in the wall was a square pane of black glass.
Amazed by this novel entry method—magic right at the door?—I placed my palm on the glass, and the text changed.
A mana scan just from placing my palm? Fascinating. I followed the instructions.
—Knock, knock.
I knocked but opened the door without waiting for a reply.
The glass had told me to.
Inside sat a stern-looking man with extremely short hair behind a desk.
His hair was maybe two centimeters long? A style I'd only seen occasionally in my past life.
"Sharp eyes."
"Pardon?"
Why that as an opening line?
"Nothing."
"......"
Then he just stared at my face intently.
"Um, I'm here for the magic aptitude test..."
For some reason, his guarded vibe made my speech stiffen too.
Sometimes my past life's adult tone slipped out even normally.
"I know."
"Yes, then—"
"But I'm not sure you should even take it."
He cut me off.
What was that about all of a sudden? Was it because I was too young?
"Because I'm too young?"
He snorted at my words.
"Hmph. Your speech suggests age isn't the issue. But that's not the problem anyway."
This was getting more baffling by the minute.
"Sigh... Fine. Just follow me."
He seemed to mull it over on his own before deciding, stood up, and headed into the passage.
I followed. He went to the room at the very end of the passage and opened the door.
Inside were five upright rectangular steles lined up.
Their surfaces were densely inscribed with text, and a small cushion sat before each one.
"Red Magic, Blue Magic, Green Magic, Purple Magic, Holy Magic, in that order. Read the contents and follow them."
When I stood still after hearing that, he seemed to think I was hesitating about where to sit and spoke again.
"Order doesn't matter. Mana only reacts to the one aptitude you have."
'It's like a blood type test telling you you're A or B.'
Maybe mana types were a real thing like blood types... Anyway, I had another question.
"Um, can I ask one thing?"
"What?"
"Why were you hesitating earlier?"
"That's because you—"
He paused briefly before continuing.
"...I was wondering if you should even learn magic. Mages are one in ten anyway, so the goddess will judge the results."
Shouldn't I learn magic? One in ten?
"Not one in a hundred, but one in ten?"
"That's for other races. For 'Long Ears,' it's one in ten. Probably the same for you... Enough of that."
With that, he turned and left.
What the heck was that?
Was there a reason I shouldn't learn magic, or did he just dislike me like others seemed to?
'I need to focus on the aptitude test, but now I'm just irritated.'
For now, let's concentrate.
Based on what I'd studied from books, my priority order was Red, Holy, Green, Blue, Purple Magic.
Red Magic had the romance of attack spells, Holy Magic was healing so it'd be valuable anywhere.
Green Magic dealt with nature and sounded cool, Blue was support effects so lower priority, and Purple had the most mages, so last.
I'd thought magic talent was rare, one in a hundred, but for Long Ears it was one in ten.
My expectations swelled with the suddenly higher odds.
I took deep breaths to calm my mind.
I'm nothing special, don't expect anything, if it works great, if not no big deal. After repeating that, I sat before the Red Magic stele.
And read the inscription.
...It explained how to circulate mana from the mana core throughout the body.
In summary: Feel the refreshing mana in your breath, then move it through breathing to spread it everywhere... Hmm, how do you do that?
Stuck right from the start.
Thinking I'd try breathing first, I experimented: slow breaths, fast ones, shallow, deep, holding then releasing...
'Frustrating.'
I tried various breathing methods, but nothing changed.
About an hour by my sense of time later, feeling stifled, I stood up.
No windows in the room, door closed—it felt even more oppressive.
I needed fresh, cool forest air.
As I turned to leave, something hit me.
'Fresh, cool forest air... I feel it now too. Is this it?'
Living by the forest, I'd always thought the air was clean and refreshing.
But even with doors and windows shut at home, that refreshing sensation persisted, and even now, I was feeling that same 'refreshing' sense with every breath.
I sat back down immediately, focused on that sensation, and breathed.
Inhale, exhale, in, out...
After a few repetitions, as I exhaled, a cool sensation swept through my body.
'This is it. Mana circulation. Feels right.'
I repeated it a few more times.
It worked inconsistently at first, but successes increased.
With more practice, I could even direct the circulation as desired.
'I did it!'
My past life's preconceptions had tricked me into mistaking mana for mere 'forest scent' or 'refreshing air'.
Reading the inscription again, it said that successful mana circulation activates the 'Mana Coat'.
Not sure what that meant.
Anyway, discovering mana and succeeding at circulation was thrilling, but I'd only just begun.
Calming my excitement, I moved to the next step.
Further down, the content grew complex.
Visualize drawing a magic circuit in your mind and compute the result. Summarizing...
Define the various concepts mentioned in the inscription and set relationships between them.
Bring them to mind and, like drawing lines on a canvas, draw several lines starting from concepts.
Connect some like a ladder from one line to others, and as they link, the lines thicken, sever, double, thin out, etc., based on the relationships...
Hmm, complicated explanation.
'Like pseudo-programming? Concepts as variables, relationships as conditions, connecting nodes with lines...'
Tough.
Thanks to shallow past-life programming experience, I grasped it somewhat, but doing it mentally like mental math was hard.
Still, after repeated attempts, I drew three lines and their connections, following them to the final 'concept value' computation.
My Long Ear memory helped with the mental calculations, and the relationships were basic addition/subtraction levels—lucky.
Then, per the inscription, I circulated mana, concentrated it at a fingertip, and extended it toward the stele.
And chanted the activation word inscribed there.
"Prompt to Magic Cast— Bind Vine!"
⟨ Red Magic ⟩
'...'
Nothing happened in the room; only silence lingered.
"Prompt to Magic Cast— Enhance Vitality!"
"Prompt to Magic Cast— Aqua Puritas!"
⟨ Holy Magic / Green Magic ⟩
If anyone saw me, they'd probably think I was some crazy kid and steer clear.
I challenged Holy Magic and Green Magic, spending an hour each visualizing the magic circuits, extending my hand into the air, and chanting the activation words, but nothing changed.
'No reaction from Red, Holy, or Green Magic. Damn it.'
Suppressing my frustration, I muttered the worst curse a child's body could muster inwardly.
Only Blue and Purple left now—I'd have to bow my head in gratitude for whichever one worked.
I let out a big sigh.
A bit deflated by the string of failures, but I figured this was experience too, fertilizer for my magic skills, and steeled myself.
Next up: the Blue Magic stele.
Mana circulation was getting familiar, so I skipped the intro and jumped ahead.
Since you'd concentrate mana at your fingertip to cast anyway.
Reading on, I visualized the magic circuit.
Thanks to accumulated failure experience, this was the easiest to understand so far, and the circuit formed quickly.
Soon, the full circuit was visualized in my mind, mana circulating as I prepared to cast.
'Concentrate mana at fingertip, target myself.'
"Prompt to Magic Cast— Warms!"
⟨ Blue Magic ⟩