Chapter 14: Isamu’s Magic

It was discovered that understanding the meaning of magic words and then chanting the spells would increase their power. Anne-Marie seemed to be conducting research on the consumption of magic power with Water Ball.

Since power increased with the same amount of magic energy, they needed to readjust the power accordingly.

In the meantime, Isamu decided to learn the first step of magic and how to manipulate magic energy from Nicolette.

“Manipulating magic energy is a very sensory experience. More than that, it’s because people feel the sensation of their own magic energy differently… For example, in my case, I feel it spreading throughout my body, centered around my back. But Anne feels a warm sensation around her abdomen, which circulates throughout her body. Some people even describe it as feeling like it covers the surface of their bodies, but there’s no one that’s the correct answer.”

“That’s quite a range of sensations. Does the amount of magic energy matter?”

“It’s said that having more magic energy makes it slightly easier to understand, but since you can’t feel the magic energy of others, it’s hard to say.”

“Yeah, that makes sense…”

“The only thing that’s common is the sensation of ‘circulating,’ regardless of whether it’s inside or outside the body or the location. According to people who have magic power manipulation, magic power is always circulating from one end of the body to the other”

“I see…”

Isamu wondered if it was similar to blood or the circulation of oxygen and nutrients carried by blood.

Based on self-analysis, it appeared that Isamu’s ability didn’t unconditionally see magic energy itself. It seemed like he only saw it when it manifested along with its attributes once it was being used for magic. If he could see magic energy, he should be able to see the magic energy currently in Nicolette’s body and, most importantly, his own. Since he couldn’t see it, that’s probably how it worked.

Conversely, when it came to the magic energy intended for casting a spell, Isamu could clearly see it. Moreover, it had a distinct color. There must be a clear difference between the magic energy in a person’s body and the magic energy intended to be used for magic. It seemed that only magic energy under specific conditions was visible to Isamu.

With this in mind, even though the order was reversed, what if they tried to imagine the spell and then chant it? Although there wouldn’t be enough concentration to gather magic energy, perhaps they could get close to that point. If they happened to convert the nearby magic energy into something usable for activation, he could see it. Afterward, by focusing on it, he could sense magical energy. Isamu decided to test this hypothesis immediately.

The magic he would use for verification was Water Ball, the same as Anne-Marie’s.

I’ve seen it many times, so it’s easy to visualize it, and the content of the chant is easy to understand.

(Yeah, I think it was “Water, emerge from nothingness and gather in my hand.”) 

An image of water emerging from nothingness… Well, in reality, it’s converting magic energy into water. So, it’s not exactly from nothingness; magic energy floats around as a source of water, and it gathers into my hand. Yeah, that should make it look somewhat like those effects from anime or games, so it should be easy to imagine.

With this conclusion in mind, he started concentrating immediately. Since he needed magic energy to gather in his hand, he decided to visualize the output in his palm. He grabbed his right wrist with his left hand, turned the palm of his right hand upward, and imagined the gathering of water in that spot.

After focusing for about 30 seconds and solidifying the image, he decided to chant the spell, but he would leave out the name of the magic.

“Water, emerge from nothingness and gather in my hand…”

In response, blue light radiated around the center of his hand, diffused, and particles gathered from the air in a manner as if they adhered to the dispersed magic. This situation continued for a while, but as soon as Isamu’s concentration wavered, the particles scattered and disappeared into the air.

He clenched and unclenched his right hand a few times, then proceeded to repeat the same action. To an observer, it looked like Isamu was staring intently at his right hand, muttering a spell but never completing it. Nicolette, who had been watching the process, didn’t dare ask what he were doing and remained silent.

After repeating this process three times, Isamu nodded slightly and began the fourth attempt. However, this time, he decided to complete the incantation:

“Water, emerge from nothingness and gather in my hand… Water Ball.”

This time, a water ball the size of a marble appeared above Isamu’s right palm. He kept the water ball hovering for a while, and when he finally exhaled and released his concentration, the water ball fell to the ground, making a splashing sound and leaving a small puddle.

“W-Wait, Isamu-san! Can you manipulate magic energy now? Or rather, I’m pretty sure Water Ball just activated, right!?”

Nicolette, who had been watching the whole thing, asked with a surprised expression.

“Ahaha. Yes, I think Water Ball’s magic probably activated.”

“Probably…?”

Nicolette was exasperated by Isamu’s vague statements.

“Well, it seemed quite challenging to sense magic energy since it’s quite intuitive. With my ability, it seems that I can’t see plain magic energy… So, I thought if I could clearly imagine the image associated with the spell, I might be able to activate the magic even when the concentration isn’t very strong. Well, to be precise, I mean, trying to activate the magic. When I try to activate it, that magic energy becomes visible to me, so I thought it might be easier to imagine the magic energy manipulation. I attempted it several times, and I got a sense of magic energy, so in the end, I chanted the spell, and it felt like the magic activated. Well, it’s just that very little magic energy gathered, as I haven’t learned to gather much yet. Haha.”

Blushing slightly and scratching the tip of his nose, Isamu explained what he had been thinking and doing.

Upon hearing this, Nicolette’s round eyes widened even further. Isamu wondered if people’s eyes could get any rounder and was suddenly approached with great force.

“N-No, no, no! I’ve never heard of using magic like that before! I mean, it’s true that if you have a substantial amount of magic energy, you can activate the spell without gathering it, right? But that’s something even legendary magician-class individuals can’t do without an immense amount of magic energy. You might have more magic energy than an average person, but you’re far from having that much magic energy… What in the world is going on?”

“W-Wait, Nicolette-san, you’re getting too close!?”

As their noses nearly touched, Isamu couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Despite being a mother of two children, Nicolette was quite the beauty.

“I see. You’re right. But earlier, when Annemarie used magic, the power increased with the same amount of magic energy, didn’t it?  So, doesn’t that mean the closer your image is to the content of the incantation, the less magic energy is needed at a minimum for activation? Well, it’s quite mysterious who’s determining how close an image is to the incantation…”

Even after hearing Isamu’s response, Nicolette’s round eyes didn’t return to their normal state.

“Well, it might be possible…” 

“Well thanks to you, now that I have a little better understanding of the sensation of manipulating magic energy, I’ll practice it a bit more.”

As Isamu seemed to have concluded the explanation, he immediately began practicing magic energy manipulation.

“Ah, Isamu-dono, may I have a moment?”

Up until then, Selfers had been observing silently, but he addressed Isamu now.

“Yes, what is it?”

“If you understand the basics of manipulating magic energy to a certain extent and intend to use magic, could you keep the amount of magic energy you put into it somewhat restrained?”

“Sure, but why?”

“Oh, no particular reason, just to be safe. If you release a spell with your magic energy at full throttle and it unexpectedly has high power, it won’t be sustainable within the backyard’s barrier. If the damage extends beyond the barrier, it will be a duty to report and investigate various things. Wouldn’t that just be a hassle for you?”

“Indeed! Thank you very much. I hadn’t considered that.”

Agreeing with Selfers’s advice, Isamu expressed their gratitude.

“Well, well, then, I’m counting on you.”

“Understood!”

“Now, now, what will happen next?”

Selfers watched Isamu, who was eagerly practicing magic energy concentration, and whispered with a smile.

About an hour passed. Isamu had been practicing manipulating magic energy, but the results were not very promising. He had managed to create a water ball about the size of a baseball, but he couldn’t quite grasp the sensation of manipulating magic energy.

“Hmm, it feels like only the magic around my arm is gathering.”

As Isamu analyzed, the magic close to his hand, which was the target for release, gathered in his palm.

Once it had been transformed to a certain extent into water magic, it became visible, so he could also see how it was gathering.

However, on the flip side, the magic from elsewhere was virtually non-existent. Normally, he should be circulating magic throughout his entire body to gather it, but if it doesn’t collect, it becomes an invisible dilemma. As a result, it’s limited to collecting the magic that happens to be flowing near his hand.

“Maybe it’s because I can see it that it’s actually causing problems…? As a certain Jiu-Jitsu master once said, ‘Don’t think, feel.'”

While muttering something like that, Isamu felt somewhat dejected.

On the other hand, the Viscount and his wife, who had been watching, couldn’t hide their astonishment.

“See that, Nico? He’s already activating Water Ball so casually.”

“Yes… It’s a terrifying talent. He may not have completely mastered magic energy concentration yet, but achieving that much in less than an hour is abnormal. It’s as if he has the ability skill of magic energy manipulation.”

Indeed, mastering magic energy manipulation was no easy feat. Those with the ability to see magic energy were rare exceptions. For most people, it took at least a month. Being able to do it in a week was considered a sign of genius.

Unaware of all this, Isamu continued his trial and error.

Isamu had always been suited to the persistent and methodical approach, whether in magic or programming. His profession as a programmer might have been his true calling in a sense. In programming, things don’t just work as expected. They work as you’ve written them. If they move differently from what you’ve anticipated, it means there’s something wrong with how you’ve written it. Discovering and fixing that error is where a programmer’s skills shine. Isamu didn’t mind this type of meticulous work. 

Magic and programming, two seemingly opposite disciplines, might have more in common at their core than one would initially think. For Isamu, this was a realization that he had come to in Ethersia for the first time.

Note: “1 shou” is approximately 90 minutes.

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