Chapter 54
"Do you know why magic isn't working?"
Ishia didn't answer the question. She just narrowed her eyes and looked at the woman explaining with a rod in front of her.
There was no reason.
She just felt like it. At first she had no thoughts, but she's been disliking it since earlier.
Why? She couldn't figure it out no matter how much she thought.
"Because you can't concentrate. In other words, because your heart is shaken? No. It feels like there's a better expression─"
The blue-haired one started pondering on her own, Ishia didn't know her name. She felt like she'd seen her somewhere before.
"Hmm~ I don't know! Anyway, it's because you can't concentrate."
Can I trust this? She looked at the woman with suspicious eyes, but her expression was blank. An expression with a question mark above her head. Different from innocent, how should I put it─
'A stupid expression.'
Ishia who finally found the answer looked at Sophia sitting properly beside her. She also had a slightly disbelieving expression─ no, it was her usual smiling expression.
This won't be helpful. Since her only comrade's fighting spirit was zero, Ishia gave up and decided to listen to her lecture.
"That's why I fail every day too. I get distracted while writing magic. While thinking about the technique in my head I suddenly think about what to eat for lunch today, or thoughts like that flower is pretty! come up."
Isn't that ADHD? Ishia swallowed the words that rose to her throat.
"So, simply put, you just need to concentrate!"
"That's easier said than─"
"Yeah. It's hard."
The woman who said that swung her rod and took a stance. A pose like she's about to hit them with this now─
"I'll teach you the method now."
She grins. Goosebumps rose all over her body. Is this right? She tried to move her body back to block her approach, but
The woman was faster than expected. No. She couldn't even follow with her eyes.
"Huh?"
She just blinked, but the woman in front of her was gone.
What's going on. As Ishia was flustered, the rod struck her shoulder from behind.
"─!!!!"
It hurts. It really hurts. Ishia discovered the fact that when it really hurts, no voice comes out. Electricity rises in her shoulder and her whole body trembles.
"Relax your shoulders, straighten your posture. From now on I'll hit harder than just now every time you get the posture I say wrong."
"Is this right─!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Don't answer. Just concentrate."
Tears almost came out at the rod hitting again. Ishia had no choice but to do as she said.
But who can do well from the start.
The posture she taught was too hard to maintain. Sit properly then don't move, relax your shoulders, don't open your eyes.
If she fidgeted because her legs were numb she hit her thighs, if she opened her eyes slightly she hit her head, if she put even a little strength in her shoulders she hit her shoulders, if her waist or neck came forward even a little she hit them too.
After being hit like that for a while, suddenly she wasn't being hit. She could maintain the posture without being hit and listen to what the woman was saying.
"It's meditation. It's a meditation method passed down in our family, listen carefully from now on."
Family? What family? Ishia thought hard. It seemed like she could think better like this.
Blue hair and blue eyes. Physical abilities that can't be followed with the eyes and meditation.
'Prestigious swordsmanship family.'
There was a sword family where blue-haired people ran wild. Is she a child from there? Then why give such a meditation method to me?
Ishia put aside the questions leading to more questions and listened to her words.
A meditation method from a prestigious swordsmanship family is worth listening to.
"Focus on your heartbeat. Do you know where the magic tank is? It's the heart. Focus on the mana that starts from the heart and spreads with the blood. Not magic power but mana. Focus on the unrefined mana within the magic power."
Thump thump.
She focused on her heartbeat as she said. The heart beating at regular intervals. She searches for magic power inside it. It was easy.
She can feel it. The magic power. It flows like waves with the blood, wandering around various parts of the body and giving vitality.
'Mana within that.'
Not magic power but mana. She searches for pure unrefined mana. It wasn't an easy task.
Mana changes to magic power in the heart the moment it enters the body. The body burns mana and refines it into magic power.
It's the same principle as breathing. Telling her to find such mana was like finding a needle in a desert.
She's not sure how to find it. Ishia had some doubts, but soon focused and started searching.
It didn't take long to understand what it meant to find mana.
She tries to find mana. Gradually the surrounding sounds become quieter, and she felt like she was entering a single space.
The noisy wind sounds, the blue-haired one's voice, her thumping heartbeat, even the sound of her own breathing.
When she couldn't hear anything. Ishia felt it.
'So this is why she said to concentrate.'
A feeling like she entered a space with nothing. In a feeling like facing her inner self, Ishia kept thinking.
She knows this feeling. It was the same as when she learned "Magic Chant Breaking" in Silvia's mist.
She thinks. She thinks and thinks again.
It was a place where she could concentrate and think solely. This place.
It felt like she could use "Magic Chant Breaking" now for some reason.
Was it this easy to use again?
'Then why?'
Why couldn't she use it. Ishia continued her thoughts carefully.
She used it just fine when she first learned it in the mist. After fighting Silvia. Did it stop working after that? She's not sure about that.
So Ishia decided to think about all the situations after that.
Lee Seonghoon approached. He praised her. She ran away still holding the mask when he tried to take it, and practiced lines for when she beats Lucy while sitting on a bench.
'That's all.'
What could be the problem? Ishia couldn't figure it out no matter how much she thought, so she just opened her eyes. Ending this meditation was quite easy.
She just came out when she thought she wanted to get out.
When Ishia opened her eyes, the blue-haired one was smiling thinly in front of her. A face like 'Let's try using it!'
Ishia sighed once then used magic.
[Skill "Magic Chant Breaking" assists magic.]
A black sphere appeared above her head. Since she could do this much even with silent incantation, next she floated a difficult sphere with another sphere inside it, a 2-line incantation.
"Magic Chant Breaking!! You were an amazing person!!"
Ishia felt strangely pleased at the reaction of covering her mouth in surprise, and was about to use 3-line incantation magic, but stopped.
She saw Lee Seonghoon coming this way after hearing the commotion. There was one more blue-haired woman beside him.
"You did it!!"
His eyes had turned into money shapes, but that should be fine. Ishia tried hard to look calm and made an expression like 'How is it?'
"As expected!! You're someone who can do it if you try!!"
After saying that Lee Seonghoon put his hand on her head. Then he messed up her hair vigorously.
"Now you'll just beat Lucy! Did you find out the reason? Let's use the lines I said when you beat Lucy."
"..."
Being praised made her chest feel ticklish somehow. Is this how children feel when praised?
While having such thoughts, she tried to use "Magic Chant Breaking" again but─
"Huh?"
"A really ominous sound just came out?"
"Oh. Seonghoon. I felt it too. That's the sound that comes out when really flustered. In my opinion, could it be that "Magic Chant Breaking" isn't coming out again or something?"
"Don't say ominous things. Really don't. Seriously. I'm serious."
She looked up at Lee Seonghoon saying such things. For some reason tears seemed about to form in her eyes, but she tried hard to hold them back.
"Huuuh??"
Why won't Magic Chant Breaking come out. Ishia really felt like crying.
***
Fortunately Shin Chaeyeon just came to pick up Shin Gayeon. She waited until the end since her sister was doing something, but nothing special happened.
She just greeted a few times and waited together until the end since we're going on the dungeon experience together.
This much is fine. It's fine but there's big trouble because of Ishia.
This damn woman meditated then "Magic Chant Breaking" worked then stopped working again. This happened in less than 1 minute.
It's not a broken appliance, why does it work briefly then stop.
Is this one actually made in China? I thought but that didn't seem right so I canceled it.
So what's the conclusion.
Shin Gayeon is saying things like 'Since it's come to this let's do meditation training until day 7!', and Ishia is sniffling saying 'I'm trash.' with her self-esteem hitting rock bottom.
I can raise Ishia's self-esteem again, but the problem is Shin Gayeon. What happens when this one meets me every day.
It means Shin Chaeyeon will come looking for her every day. She's coming to find her unpredictable sister.
So it can't be helped. Since she briefly fixed Ishia's "Magic Chant Breaking", her meditation method is needed.
It's needed, but not more than that. But Shin Gayeon is harboring strange feelings for me now.
Then there's only one way.
I have to make her fall away on her own. Since this is the best, I decided to act like trash.
"You're trash originally. Human trash."
That's a bit harsh. It's true, but the cruelest thing in the world is the truth.
Anyway, same place the next day. The day before Ishia and Lucy's duel and the day before my ranking battle.
After confirming Shin Gayeon who came out the same, I looked around.
"What are you looking at so much?"
I didn't answer Sophia's words. What am I looking at? Of course checking for Shin Chaeyeon's presence. If I do that when she's here, a knife will come to my neck right away.
After confirming she's not here. I approached Shin Gayeon with a smile.
When I approached smiling, she also smiled and waved.
"Why?"
"Didn't we agree to speak casually?"
"Hmm. Still. How can I speak casually to someone who saved me..."
This one really isn't in her right mind. I spoke to her who was strangely avoiding eye contact.
"Go buy some bread."
Operation Lower Affection 1. Openly treat her like a lower person.
"Okay!! What kind of bread should I buy? Cream? Soboro?"
Failure.
I spoke again to Shin Gayeon who came back with loads of bread for everyone to eat. I tried to make my tone extremely rude.
"You could have just done it like usual."
Shut up. Really.
"Ah~ I'm thirsty. It'd be nice if someone bought some water~"
Sophia and Ishia stood up reflexively at my words.
"Wait!! Not you two. Not you two."
The two who stopped moving met eyes. Then they look at me as if they don't understand.
It seemed to mean 'What's going on?'
"Shin Gayeon. You go buy it."
Anyway, ignore and continue the operation. Operation 2. Don't order everything at once.
"Okay!! What should I buy?!"
Failure.
After that I kept giving hints. Buy this. Buy that. Why are your eyes like that. It's hot so try making some water.
What's with this water temperature. Try fanning. Hit Ishia harder. Things like that.
The gazes from Sophia and Raphael beside me were sharp, but I tried hard to ignore them since there's a reason for all this.
This is for everyone's sake okay? It's the completion of a world where no one gets hurt okay?
But the wall called Shin Gayeon was too solid.
"What should we do next!!"
"....Hey."
"Yes!!"
I was exhausted by her still answering energetically. Now there's nothing left to order. I had no choice but to speak openly.
This isn't a place for you. Just fix Ishia and leave.
But if I say it openly she'll really do it, so I decided to say it a bit indirectly.
"This is a place only my maids can be. Just come until tomorrow and don't come after─"
"How can I become a maid?!"
This is really driving me crazy.