Chapter 53: The Second Magic Lesson: “Message Magic”

　In the morning, I had fun taking care of Sophia-chan until noon, and after handing her over to Karin-san, I continued to run the “Hideaway” smoothly until nightfall. Henry-san will probably be unable to come because he’s having dinner with the Prime Minister.

　Mr. Glidden and Ms. Sara came to the restaurant at 6:00 p.m. Tonight they ordered sautéed white fish. I used a small amount of soy sauce that I bought in the coulou district for the fish sauce. I wasn’t sure how it would taste, but they seemed to like it.

　Illustration (By Mitemin)

“This sauce has a unique richness to it, it’s delicious.’”

“I used seasonings I got from the coulou district.”

“Oh? You go to the coulou district?”

“Yes, I do. there are so many delicious foods there, I love it.”

“Well, next time you’re in the coulou district, try  using some detection magic. It’ll be fun.”

“I’ll definitely give it a try next time I’m there.”

　I have a lot of questions I want to ask today. I can’t wait for the lesson to start.

　It seems that he has read my mind. Mr. Glidden says, “You sit here, too. If you have any questions you want to ask, feel free to ask.”

“Teacher, I used sensing magic at the Spring Waiting Festival. There are already many beastmen living in this royal capital.”

“You have already mastered it? That’s fast. How many different colors did you see?”

“Six, not including ordinary people.”

“I have also seen six different colors as well. The only ones I can tell what type of beastmen are are blue for dog type and the red for cat type. That magic is originally used to estimate an opponent’s magical power.  But when I learned it, I found a surprising use for it. I guess the wizards of the past didn’t know about it. There is no record of such a thing anywhere.”

　Does this mean that there were no beastmen in the country at the time this ancient magic was woven?

“It was quite some time ago that I realized it could be used to find beastmen. I think it is just as well now that wizards are reluctant to learn this magic. If they knew the reality of this country, it would cause an uproar. I didn’t teach my apprentice Juzel this magic because he was going to be in the service of the state. That’s why Kirias probably doesn’t know about it either.”

“Teacher, how did you know the colors of the dog and cat types?”

　Mr. Glidden’s eyes became distant.

“I’ve stopped doing this now because I’m not very strong on my feet, but I used to go around the poor areas of the royal capital looking for young high-magic holders. When I found such children,  I helped them with their living expenses. I didn’t help them with money, but with food. Money clouds the hearts of parents.”

　I guess they are blinded by greed.

“I saw a red and blue lights in a district where poor houses were gathered. It struck me as odd, so when I walked around the area, I tried to look around while releasing my sensing magic as much as possible Then… I happened to see a strangely large dog and an unusually large cat. The dog was glowing blue and the cat was glowing red. They noticed my surprise and rushed to hide. Later, a young man glowing blue came out of the house where they were hiding and a young lad glowing red came out of the house next door.”

　Mr. Glidden has a dour air about him, but he was a man of many good deeds.

“If this magic is misused, it can be used to find people with magical powers, who would normally be left to report it voluntarily, before they or their families even realize it. If a child from a poor family is a high magic power holder, he or she will be bought at a low price or kidnapped before the family and the individual realize the value of his or her power. It can also be used to expose beastmen.”

　I can’t believe something so horrible can happen. It’s a scary story.

“Why did you teach me this magic, Mr. Glidden?”

“It’s because you’re friendly with beastmen. On the first day I met you, you were shocked when I told you that you seem to be liked by both dogs and cats, weren’t you? I could tell by the look on your face at that moment that you knew who they really were and were interacting with them.  As you have no prejudice against beastmen, I would like to teach you. That’s all.”

　Hearing that, the uneasiness like a thorn that had been pricking my heart for a long time disappeared. It seems the teacher really has no prejudice against beastmen. After they finished their meal, the lesson soon began.

“Do you know what is message magic?　It’s a magic that allows you to communicate with someone in a faraway place.”

“No, I don’t. I have received a lot of knowledge from my grandmother, but it is so vast that I have not been able to understand or utilize most of it.”

“Message magic is a very useful magic. If Liyol did not use it, she must have kept it very well hidden.”

　The reason why grandma didn’t use message magic was probably because she didn’t need to. She must have watched with a wry smile as mobile phones and smartphones became so commonplace.

“It’s a very advanced form of magic. That’s why I want to teach it to you while I still have the chance.”*figurative Trans.: While my eyes are still black.

“Teacher, is that possible to communicate even if the other person doesn’t have magical powers?”

“Yes. If the person to whom you are communicating to is limited to those with magical powers, then there’s no point in learning the magic. It’s said that this country has a population of over five million people. Of those, only ten people, including my direct apprentice, have become wizards in the castle’s service. There are probably many more who are just magic users, but even so, their number is still very small.*

　In other words, only one in 500,000 people can call themselves a wizard?　That’s too rare. I need to show more respect to you, Kyrias.

“Then I’ll cast a message spell to you. Move away a little. Right,  go to the second floor.”

“Yes, sir.”

　I ran upstairs. I called out to the floor below, “I’m ready!” I left the bedroom door open and sat on the bed, waiting for the message spell. I was looking forward to seeing what form it would take when a white light the size of a grapefruit appeared in the middle of the room.

“This is message magic. The amount of time it can be used depends on the amount of magic power of the person casting it. As long as I am emitting magic power, I can hear your voice.

　The pure white light had white spikes that expanded and contracted in all directions in time with my. Glidden’s voice, like an audio spectrum that expanded and contracted when the audio was on.

“I can hear you loud and clear. It’s amazing.”

　I replied, and suddenly the white light disappeared.

　I immediately ran down the stairs and reported, “I saw the white light!　And I could hear the voices clearly, too,” Mr. Glidden, who was smiling wryly and Sarah looked at me with a slightly frightened look on her face.

“Mai-san, you must not run down the stairs. Some people have fallen down the stairs and died.”

“I’m sorry. Umm… I was surprised that your tone just now sounded so much like my grandmother.”

“Oh, my!”

　Sarah looks down with a happy expression. Mr. Glidden’s face is gentle as he looks at her.

　After that, I learned from Mr. Glidden how to cast the spell.  I say ‘learn’ but it was more like a baseball prodigy, saying, “ you swing the bat and hit the ball with a bang. Like this, “go” and then “bang!” You know what I mean?” That’s as close to teaching as I got.

　Magic, it seems, requires a good sense on the part of the learner. After two solid hours of “go and bang!” style of instruction. I was exhausted by the end.

“You must be tired. Well, you should be able to learn it in about six months of practice. No, you could master it in three months. Keep practicing.”

　After seeing Mr. Glidden and Sara off, I took a bath first. I added some rose-scented bath salts and let out a lazy “Daaa” sound. I am sooo tired. And the question remains.

　The only ones who know that I’m a wizard are Henry, Kyrias-kun, Sensei, and Sarah. Henry is the only one who has something to tell me that would send that white light.

“I can’t send that white light to the big room where the other civil servants are, can I?　then my voice will be heard by everyone around me, won’t it?　I don’t think It’ll be easy for me to use this magic.”

　I wash my hair, wash my body, wash my face, and then soak in the bathtub again. All the while, I keep thinking about it. It would be no good to use paper in the form of a person, like an Onmyoji. It would be better to use a form that would not attract anyone’s attention and would not make anyone feel uncomfortable when they see it.*Shikigami

　I dried my hair and went to bed with a warm body, but I Kept thinking. My brain seemed to be excited, and even though I was tired, I didn’t  feel sleepy at all, so I continued thinking. I couldn’t come up with any good ideas. But, since I’d taken the trouble to learn it, I was determined to master the magic of communication.

Tl Note

An onmyoji (or onyōji) was an official position in the Bureau of Onmyō under the Ministry of Central Affairs under the Ritsuryo system in ancient Japan . It referred to a person who was appointed as a technical official or engineer , responsible for divination and geomancy using onmyōdō , which is based on the Yin-Yang and Five Elements philosophy . In medieval and early modern times, the term referred to people who performed private prayers and divination in the private sector [1] , and some of them were considered to be a type of Shinto priest. (Wikipedia extract)

The events from 25 years ago are discussed in terms of potions in chapter 19 and chapter 35.

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