Chapter 131
When Glenn Dudley, the butcher’s son, arrived at Monica’s house in Southdoll carrying a huge load of meat on his back, he found Monica and Isaac each holding a staff—a rare sight.
In the Kingdom of Ridill, a mage’s staff grows longer as their rank rises.
Monica was holding an ornate staff as tall as she was, the kind only the Seven Sages were permitted to carry. Isaac was holding a short wand about as long as the distance from his elbow to his fingertips.
That was the kind of wand apprentice mages used. Glenn had borrowed one for practice back when he was at Minerva, too.
“Chairman, are you starting practical magic lessons?”
Glenn asked as he set the meat on the table. Isaac nodded with a grin, stroking the short wand with his fingertips.
“Yeah. I’m starting lessons today.”
Isaac was always smiling gently, but he was visibly in a good mood now, and seemed a little giddy, too.
“You seem happy, Chairman.”
“Can you tell? I get to learn practical magic from the 〈Silent Witch〉, whom I’ve always admired. I’m the happiest man in the world.”
“Can I watch for a bit? I’m really interested in Monica’s practical magic lessons!”
“I don’t mind.”
With that, Isaac looked at Monica.
Monica nodded shyly, then quickly composed herself. She lifted her head with a stern, determined expression. She was clearly doing her best to act like a cool, professional teacher.
“A-ahem. Well, Aike already has an excellent understanding of spell formulas, so today we’ll practice controlling his magic.”
As Monica spoke, she raised her staff in her right hand, and it began to glow faintly. The soft white light showed that magic was flowing into it.
Learning to channel magic into a staff was one of the very first things taught at Minerva, too. Mages could use magic without a staff, but using one made it easier to control their magic. Some kinds of staff could apparently amplify it as well.
For the record, Glenn hadn’t used a staff much since becoming Louis’s apprentice.
As Louis put it, “It would be a problem if you got into the habit of relying on a staff.” Glenn could understand that much, but he had plenty to say about what came next: “Knowing how to make a fist is far more useful than knowing how to use a staff.”
At the very least, Glenn had never once found knowing how to make a fist useful.
“First, I’ll show you how it’s done.”
Monica chanted in a clear voice, unusual for her. She was probably doing it to make things easier for Isaac to follow.
Magic woven according to the spell formula formed into a ball of water about the size of a fist, then dropped precisely into the bucket on the floor.
Glenn felt like this was the first time he’d ever seen Monica cast a spell while chanting.
“Monica, you can use magic with an incantation, too?”
“I-I did my best.”
Monica let out a breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
For the 〈Silent Witch〉, who could perform the miracle of silent casting without so much as a change in her expression, casting magic with an incantation seemed to be terribly nerve-racking.
“Um, the process is to channel magic into the staff like I just did, unfold the spell formula, and weave the magic according to it. Just try it, and do as much as you can for now.”
“Understood, my master.”
Isaac bowed politely, then lifted his short wand. It began to glow faintly.
In a gentle, steady voice, he recited the incantation and wove the magic with precision.
A ball of water floated above the tip of his wand. Isaac gave it a light wave, and the water ball settled quietly into the bucket.
“How was that?”
“That was amazing, Chairman! Perfect!”
“Aike, that was incredible! I can’t believe it was your first time… Hm?”
Monica hopped up and down with excitement, then trailed off and fell into thought, her expression suddenly troubled.
Then, with some trepidation, she asked Isaac:
“Um, Aike… have you used magic before?”
“I have a different affinity from the real Prince Felix. It would be inconvenient if the people around me found out, so I generally don’t use magic. Ah, though, there was one time…”
“Could that have been…?”
Monica’s cheek twitched as Isaac answered in his usual mild voice.
“A contract with the high-ranking spirit Wirdianu.”
Monica swayed as if her knees were about to give way, then clung to her staff.
Glenn had seen his master demonstrate a spell formula for contracting with a high-ranking spirit once.
Frankly, it was a cipher. There was no way an apprentice could understand it.
Glenn wasn’t an apprentice anymore, but he still couldn’t imagine understanding it.
“Your first spell was a contract with a high-ranking spirit? M-my apprentice is so far beyond the norm!”
The outlandish witch, who had demonstrated silent casting as her first spell, clutched her head.
＊ ＊ ＊
After they finished practicing the basic spells for controlling water, they took a short break.
When Glenn heard how Isaac had come to start practical magic training, he stared in surprise as he devoured a fluffy cake Isaac had made.
“Wait, you’re going to hunt a water dragon? Just you and Monica, Chairman?”
“Y-yes. In four days. I’d like Aike to handle detection.”
There were mages who specialized in detection in the Magic Corps, too.
They didn’t take part in the attack. Instead, they simultaneously used two spells: a “detection spell” and a “shared spell” to relay the results to the attackers. It was a role that required composure and good judgment. “You’ll never have to do that job,” was what Glenn’s master had told him. Glenn agreed.
“But a detection mage has to use both a detection spell and a shared spell at the same time, right? Isn’t it pretty hard to maintain two spells at once?”
Most mages could only maintain one spell at a time, but skilled mages could maintain two simultaneously.
This was extremely important in magical combat. If you could use two spells at once, you could attack the enemy while moving with a flight spell, or attack while a defensive barrier protected you.
That was why Louis had started teaching Glenn to maintain two spells at once at a fairly early stage.
Glenn had only recently started getting the hang of maintaining two spells.
Before, he’d had to come to a complete stop in midair before he could cast an attack spell while using a flight spell. Now he could manage some attacks even while flying around.
But could Isaac, with so little practical experience, really do that right away?
As Glenn tilted his head, Isaac spread out some papers covered in spell formulas on the table.
“I don’t think using a detection spell and a shared spell at the same time will be all that difficult. Their spell structures are fairly similar, and neither requires complicated control of magic. Also, the shared spell gets harder to use when the attacker is moving, but Monica won’t have to move around on the ship this time.”
“Yes. The shared spell is even easier if we’re in physical contact, so let’s do that.”
Monica pointed to the shared spell and explained to Isaac, “We can leave out this part and this part.”
Glenn peered at the spell formula from the side, squinting as hard as he could and twisting his lips. He couldn’t understand a single thing. The detection spell in particular was far too complicated.
“You’re going to use this, Chairman? You’re learning it now?”
“It’s all right. I’ve memorized the whole thing. I made this spell formula myself.”
He said it as casually as if he were telling them he’d baked a cake for tea.
Glenn wolfed down another bite of Isaac’s homemade cake, then glared at the detection spell formula and tried to decipher it again. He gave up after the first phrase.
“…My master uses a detection spell while attacking or defending in magical combat… I guess that really is incredible.”
“Louis-san can basically do anything on his own… Oh, but there’s someone even more incredible.”
Monica took a sip of tea, her voice a little more animated.
Isaac narrowed his eyes as if thinking something over, then spoke up.
“Do you mean the 〈Star Lance Witch〉?”
“That’s right! Kara Maxwell-sama, the 〈Star Lance Witch〉, can maintain seven spells at once! I’ve actually seen her do it. She maintained a detection spell, two defensive barriers, and three attack spells, all at once, while using a flight spell. That’s something hardly anyone could imitate.”
Glenn had at least heard the name of Kara Maxwell, the former Seven Sage known as the 〈Star Lance Witch〉. She was the senior apprentice of Glenn’s master, Louis Miller, the 〈Barrier Mage〉.
Glenn had never met her, but he’d heard she was an amazing mage.
“You’ve met the 〈Star Lance Witch〉, Monica?”
“Yes. When I was at Minerva, the 〈Star Lance Witch〉 often visited Professor Rutherford’s laboratory. She always brought me nuts or dried sweets as a present.”
To be honest, Glenn had secretly assumed that, since she had been Louis’s senior apprentice, the 〈Star Lance Witch〉 must be quite an eccentric person herself.
But Monica was talking about her with such a smile that she had to be a kind, good person.
(Still, maintaining seven spells at once… I can’t even imagine what that’s like.)
As Glenn reached for the last piece of cake, he noticed Isaac looking down, lost in thought.
There was something about his eyes that seemed… just a little shadowed. Glenn spoke up.
“Chairman, what’s with the serious face?”
“Hm? Was I making a serious face?”
“I don’t know, you just seemed that way… Oh, are you nervous about hunting a water dragon?”
“Maybe I am.”
Isaac smiled vaguely, and Monica, who had been drinking her tea, suddenly looked up.
“Y-yes, that makes sense. It’s not normal to make someone’s first real battle a dragon hunt…”
Huh? Glenn thought.
When Glenn had gotten his beginner mage certification, Louis had smiled brightly and said:
‘Then what’s the point of getting a beginner mage certification if you don’t hunt a dragon or two?’
For the record, his master’s advice at the time had been, “Dragon fangs and scales sell for a lot, so make sure you pick them up.” He hadn’t offered any combat support or advice, of course.
Monica looked up at Isaac with determination in her eyes.
“I’ll protect you, Aike. I absolutely will. I won’t let my apprentice so much as get a finger laid on him. So please focus on detection!”
“Monica…”
Isaac murmured, deeply moved, radiating a dazzling aura as he smiled dreamily.
“Yes. I’ll live up to your expectations. I’ll do a perfect job of detection, my master.”
It was a beautiful display of the bond between master and disciple. As Glenn watched them, he thought:
(Maybe my master is a little… off.)
Glenn swallowed the last bite of cake and slurped down the rest of his tea.
“Well, I should get going. Thanks for the cake, Chairman!”
Isaac quickly called out to Glenn as he stood up.
“Dudley-kun, do you like carrots?”
“Nope! If there are undercooked carrots in my soup, I despair!”
“…I see. By the way, did you like the cake you just had?”
“It was amazing!”
The fluffy cake had a lovely citrus-peel and cinnamon flavor, and the walnuts inside gave it a delightful texture.
Glenn nodded enthusiastically, and Isaac smiled warmly.
“I’ve got plenty. Please take some home with you.”