Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 272: I Want to Use Magic
Nero and the others arrived while members of the territorial mage corps still surrounded me. Their own training session had apparently paused.
“Lord Julius, what is all this commotion?”
“It is nothing. Let us take a break. Giles and Christopher, you will join us, will you not?”
“Of course!”
“Let us go.”
Thanks to my dependable friends, I escaped the situation. That had been close; another uproar had nearly begun. I retreated to the rest area beside the knights' training grounds and immediately arranged some dried fruit on the table.
“Lord Julius, is this the rumoured dried fruit?”
“This is my first time seeing it. It really is as beautiful as a jewel.”
Giles and Christopher had evidently never seen it before. The product had not spread as widely as I had expected, so the business might need more time to grow. Perhaps Brother Alex intended to sell it as an expensive luxury confection. That was another possibility.
“Please, help yourselves. If we run out, I can always ask the head chef for more.”
“Thank you, Lord Julius.”
“We could not possibly impose on you…”
Despite their protests, they ate with obvious enjoyment. That was what mattered. Children should not have to hold back over sweets. Nero was eating with equal enthusiasm.
“Lord Julius, what happened earlier?”
“The mages caused a fuss because they saw me practising.”
“I see.”
Nero accepted that explanation with suspicious ease. I had explained it to prevent the matter from growing, but he seemed to consider such incidents entirely normal for me. How regrettable.
“Since Lord Julius can use magic, I wish I could use it too.”
“Magic requires both mana and aptitude. Christopher, however, you may be able to learn.”
The method I had taught Axel and Ijidol in the royal capital might work for him as well. Christopher's eyes sparkled, and Giles looked equally interested.
“How can I learn?”
Christopher leaned forward eagerly. I could hardly refuse after raising his hopes, so I made them promise that this would remain a secret among us before explaining the method.
“First, practise Light, the simplest magic available to anyone with mana. If you cannot produce even a faint glow, you probably do not possess enough mana to cast spells.”
“Then perhaps it is impossible for me. When Grandfather taught me, the light barely appeared.”
“That is enough. The fact that it glowed means you possess mana and can learn magic.”
Christopher's face brightened. From there, success would depend on steady effort. The exercises were plain and repetitive, but necessary.
I taught Giles as well, and he also managed to produce Light.
“I am glad that both of you possess mana. Now you need to strengthen it and improve your control.”
“Does Nero have an aptitude for magic too?”
“Yes. I have been teaching Nero since we were in the royal capital.”
My exercise, which involved making Light repeatedly flicker, could gradually draw out a person's existing mana reserves. It could not exceed their natural limit, however. Unlike a game, we could not freely assign ability points.
Giles looked slightly frustrated, perhaps because Nero had already distinguished himself during sword practice. I hoped no resentment would develop between them. I needed companions who could trust one another when it mattered.
Keeping an eye on both boys, I demonstrated the exercise.
“It looks rather simple.”
“It is simple, but my friends in the royal capital achieved excellent results with it. One warning: always practise before going to bed. Otherwise, you may collapse from mana exhaustion while still active.”
They clearly understood how unpleasant mana exhaustion could be, and their expressions tightened. High-quality sweets might help them recover, but providing enough would be difficult.
“Why must we keep the method secret?”
“Because it is unusually effective and could cause a major commotion. I must start behaving more cautiously, or Father may place me under house arrest.”
“I do not think that will happen.”
Nero gave a strained laugh. It might, Nero. My family could already be considering it. I could not afford many more careless mistakes.
I firmly repeated the warning to Giles and Christopher. Hopefully, the secret would remain contained for a while.
After returning safely to the estate, I resumed work on the royal household shrine. Since it was intended for the royal family, I wanted to give it my best effort. Two adults would carry it, allowing me to make it larger and add finer details.
I also needed to order larger crystals for the spirit stone inside.
He’s being a teacher again.