Spatial Magic

When I went to the magic training grounds, there was no one there, just as I had expected. That worked out well, since it would be a problem if someone saw me. All right, let's do our best.

If I remember correctly, according to history class, the Apostle-sama could use barriers, an Item Box, and teleportation.

What attribute would this count as? Hmm... Spatial attribute, perhaps? For now, I'll consider it a spatial attribute.

First, I'll try the Item Box. The reason I'm starting with the Item Box is that it would be the most useful if I could use it!

If I could use this, it wouldn't just be convenient. If time didn't pass inside, I could store as much food as I wanted, and I could carry all my money with me! Leaving all of it in the bank is a little frightening, so I could withdraw it periodically and store it in my Item Box. I absolutely want to use it!

All right... What should I imagine? Perhaps an infinite extradimensional space stretching out before me, where I can freely put things in and take them out. Time would be stopped inside, and it would be nice if I could see the contents as a list. It would be even better if I could retrieve things just by imagining them.

Maybe I should imagine opening a small hole in space and putting things in and taking them out through it. Yes, the image is starting to take shape.

Don't underestimate someone who watched anime nonstop in Japan!

'Item Box'

As I chanted that, I released magic power from my right hand, and something resembling a black hole appeared a short distance in front of it.

Wow! Amazing! Could I have succeeded!?

I might be a genius!!!!

I took one of the copper coins I was carrying and tried putting it inside. I thought I might feel something when I put my hand in, but I felt nothing. However, my hand disappeared once I put it inside, so from the outside, I'd look like some strange person whose arm had vanished. It would probably be better to put things in and take them out inside my bag whenever other people were around.

I let go of the copper coin inside the Item Box and pulled my hand out. My hand came out of the Item Box normally. It works properly... Phew, that's a relief.

I was a little nervous.

I put my hand into the extradimensional space again, and this time, something resembling an item list appeared in my mind.

Whoa! This feels kind of strange, but it's incredibly convenient! There really is one copper coin listed. How do I take it out?

Hmm, maybe I just have to think about it? I thought about one copper coin, and something touched my palm. I grabbed it and pulled it out, and it was a copper coin. This is too convenient!

Let's investigate a little more.

This time, I put in ten copper coins and ten silver coins, and the list said ten copper coins and ten silver coins.

Can I specify the quantity, too? I thought about two copper coins, and just two copper coins came out, exactly as I had expected. This really is convenient.

Next, I want to see whether I can store something large. I decided to try storing a rock that had been left in the magic training grounds. But I can't lift it... Do I just touch it with my hand and will it into storage?

Storage! ...No good. Hmm, maybe I have to touch the entrance to the Item Box. In that case... I see! Maybe I can make the entrance appear in my palm.

I erased the Item Box entrance I had created earlier, placed my palm against the rock, and tried using magic. The rock vanished without a trace.

Wow! It worked!!

When I checked the list, a rock had been added after the copper and silver coins. If I can create an Item Box entrance in my palm, I can store anything with ease. This is too convenient!

Besides, the copper and silver coins are still there too, so closing the entrance doesn't affect the contents. Perfect.

Now, all that's left is figuring out how to take the rock out, but I can't put my hand inside and grab it, can I?

Maybe I can create an Item Box entrance in my palm and think about taking the rock out?

I imagined the rock appearing where it had disappeared, held my palm over that spot, and created an Item Box entrance.

Then the same rock appeared in the spot where it had been before. This is too perfect!

Next, I need to see what happens when I store small things. I tried storing sand from the ground of the training grounds directly, and then storing it in a bag. I tested both methods.

When I checked the list, the sand I had put in the bag was listed as one bag of training-ground sand, while the sand I had put in directly was listed as a handful of sand. Hmm... I thought each grain of sand might appear separately on the list if I put it in directly, but apparently not. In that case, I should put small things in bags before storing them.

Finally, I want to see whether time passes inside. I can't test that immediately, so I'll put some ice in the Item Box and take it out after a while.

I made a container with magic, created some ice inside it, and stored it in the Item Box. That finishes all the tests I can think of for now.

Perfect. This is definitely an Item Box! I can use spatial magic, too! I was so happy that I couldn't help throwing a fist pump.

Huh? But I was so happy that I forgot... If I can use spatial magic, does that mean I'm an Apostle-sama...?

Hmm... I can't figure this out no matter how much I think about it. I suppose I'll have to put it on hold for now.

More importantly, it's time for the next spell! I'll try a barrier. A barrier is supposed to be like a transparent wall, right? Is a transparent wall made of glass? But glass breaks easily...

Hmm, rather than imagining a wall, it might be better to imagine creating the extradimensional space from earlier. A wall that absorbs any attack sounds incredibly powerful! But if I do that, magic might end up inside the Item Box. I don't like that...

Maybe I should go with a physical-and-magical barrier, like the ones that often appear in anime. But what are those made of? Magic power, perhaps...?

Well, whatever. I'll try it for now!

'Barrier'

Ugh... I managed to create it, but it consumes quite a bit of magic power. I let my guard down because the Item Box didn't consume any magic power at all.

A single barrier uses about ten percent of my magic power. Still, if it can block attacks, I should definitely use it.

Now, I wonder if I can change the barrier's shape... Could I make it fit my body like a transparent suit?

I used the barrier while imagining that I was wearing transparent full-body armor. A transparent suit of armor that felt completely weightless appeared around me. Success!

The amount of magic power it consumes doesn't seem to change much, so I should probably wear this when I fight. Maintaining it doesn't seem to consume much magic power, either, so I should be able to keep it up during battle.

Next, I want to test its durability... Maybe I should create a small barrier and attack it.

I made a palm-sized barrier and decided to attack it. When I touched it, it felt like glass.

First, I'll try punching it. I clenched my fist and punched it with all my strength.

Thud... Ouch!!

I shouldn't have punched it barehanded. That hurt way too much. The barrier doesn't even have a scratch on it.

Next, I'd like to attack it with a sword, but I don't have one, so I'll try smashing it with a stone I create with magic.

Clang... Amazing. It still doesn't have a scratch on it.

Then I'll try magic! I fired a Bullet from a short distance away, putting some speed behind it. Go!

Boom... Huh? It still isn't breaking!?

One more time! Crack... Crack, crack... Crash!

Wow, it finally broke. Or rather, it can actually break. The fragments didn't remain; they simply vanished.

This is an incredibly powerful barrier. The spell I just used was more powerful than the one that destroyed the rock earlier, and it still took that much to break it... A barrier really is useful.

That should be enough testing for the barrier. Next is teleportation, but what should I imagine? Would I be broken down to the molecular level and reconstructed somewhere else?

That sounds frightening. Maybe I could travel through an extradimensional space and emerge somewhere else. Yes, that sounds safer.

I'll try teleporting to a visible location with that image for now.

'Teleportation'

Wow! It felt like my body floated gently, entered a pitch-black world for an instant, and then emerged somewhere else! I didn't expect to succeed so quickly... Could I be a magic genius?

This is kind of exciting. I couldn't help grinning, but I forced myself to refocus and resumed my testing.

Next, I'll try teleporting somewhere I can't see. I'll imagine the other side of the rock from earlier... 'Teleportation'

It worked!! I can teleport over a distance like this, at least. However, it consumes quite a bit of magic power even over this short distance. Long-distance teleportation might be impossible.

I only have about forty percent of my magic power left, so I'll try teleporting a little farther away one last time.

But I don't know what the destination looks like, do I? If there were an object or person there, I might appear on top of them or collide with them. And if there were a person there, everyone would make a huge fuss about where I had come from.

Hmm... Where should I teleport?

This won't do... I can't test it at the Royal Academy. If I'm going to teleport, somewhere like the forest near my family home would be better.

There are still many things I want to test, such as whether I can teleport with a person or while carrying an object, and what happens if there is a person or an object at the destination... But I can't test any of that unless I reveal that I can use teleportation.

Should I tell the Townsend ducal family and the royal family that I can use spatial magic?

...If I tell them, the only future I can imagine is being paraded around as an Apostle-sama. I've already resigned myself to that, so I wouldn't really mind, but I'm not an Apostle-sama, so I'm afraid of divine punishment. Could I be punished with divine retribution for deceiving everyone into thinking I was an Apostle-sama...?

...That sounds possible. For now, I'll keep it to myself. That would probably be best. All right, I've decided what to do.

Yaaawn... I've tried a lot of things and I'm pretty tired, so I should head back. Lucien will probably be leaving soon, too.