Kays Translations

Chapter 15: Convenient Defensive Magic

I rode back to Okutama in a cart pulled by the Blue Witch, alongside the Gremlins, Octa meteorite, art pieces, and the Red Magic Stone “Meteor Flame” stolen by the Dragon Witch.

The Blue Witch was incredibly fast, and watching the scenery zoom past from the cart was surprisingly enjoyable. I think we were going about 50 kilometers per hour.

She could go even faster with body-enhancing magic, but the enhancement magic derived from vampiric sorcery consumes not just magic energy but also blood. Even a witch can collapse from anemia if she overuses it, so she doesn’t rely on it excessively.

Man, I’m jealous, though. Even with risks, it’d be awesome to bulk up instantly like that.

We arrived at my place in Okutama before sundown. As the Blue Witch helped unload the cart, she persistently repeated her pitch.

“Hey, won’t you reconsider? I know a cozy house in Ome. You should move there.”

“No way. I like my life here. I’ve got a farm to tend to. I’m staying right here.”

“What if you get kidnapped again? I’ve taught the Dragon Witch a lesson, but that doesn’t mean a rogue dragon won’t show up. Honestly, you were lucky it was just a kidnapping this time. I might not be able to protect you next time… Please, just stay somewhere I can keep an eye on you.”

“Nope.”

“Ugh! Why won’t Kei-chan or you let me protect you…?!”

She sounded so frustrated.

Well, maybe it’s because we’re focused on protecting different things. Just a guess, though.

“Anyway, if you stop by every now and then to check on me, that’s already a huge help. Don’t stress too much. I’m only safe now because you came to rescue me. Speaking of which, how did you even know I was being held captive there?”

“When I went to share some apples with you, your house was destroyed. There were dragon footprints in front of it, and your rice field was abandoned halfway through harvesting. It was obvious what had happened, so I rushed to that scumbag’s lair.”

“Ah, fair enough.”

Now that she mentioned it, yeah, the scene was a dead giveaway. Pretty blatant for a kidnapping site. Good thing the Dragon Witch is too dumb to cover her tracks.

“I’m really worried about you, Dairi. You’ve just been kidnapped, but you’re already back to looking so carefree. You don’t have enough awareness of danger. Even if you stay in Okutama, could you at least move closer to Ome…?”

“Hey, I do take things seriously. It’s not like I’m ignoring the risks, okay? When I fix my house’s walls, I’m planning to reinforce them with metal plates or something. I’ll also add a hidden room where I can hide. And next time, I’ll make sure I don’t lose my temper and pick a fight with a dragon.”

“You picked a fight with her?! You idiot! I told you to hide!”

The Blue Witch’s concern quickly shifted to anger.

Whoops. That slipped out.

Yeah, okay, that was on me. I was careless. But hey, the Dragon Witch is the real villain here, and ultimately no one got hurt (except for the Dragon Witch, who doesn’t count). I’d like her to remember that.

After a thorough lecture about the importance of self-defense, the Blue Witch sighed deeply when she realized I wasn’t fully paying attention despite pretending to listen.

“Honestly. You just don’t understand how dangerous these times are, no matter how much I warn you. Fine, I’ll think about how to improve your security measures myself. I’m leaving for today, but make sure you lock up tight and don’t go out at night. If something feels dangerous, stay away and stay still.”

“Roger that, Mom. Oh, wait! I almost forgot—since we’re friends now, wanna play a card game sometime? I’ve got some decks at home. I’ve only ever played online, but I’ve got a bunch of physical cards I bought but never used.”

Playing against the Blue Witch sounds way more fun than pretending to play by myself.

I’ve never wanted to make friends before, but having someone around for card game battles would be super convenient.

When I called out to her as she was leaving, the Blue Witch turned around, exasperated.

“Another one of your carefree ideas… You don’t mean regular playing cards, do you?”

“Of course not. I mean trading card games. If you don’t know the rules, I can teach you.”

“Fine. Whatever. I’ll come by tomorrow.”

The Blue Witch kept glancing back anxiously as she returned to Ome.

Hmm, do I really seem that unaware of danger? I don’t get it.

I always carry Hendenshaw (portable weapon), a compact first-aid kit with painkillers, antiseptic, and bandages in my knee pocket, and when I go into the mountains, I stay away from cliffs. I also avoid rivers or mountain paths the day after it rains.

I mean, I think I’m pretty cautious.

But compared to someone like the Blue Witch—who’s probably lived through some crazy tragic backstory—it seems our standards for danger awareness are on totally different levels.

Once again, I found myself reflecting on how peaceful the Reiwa era truly was. Following the advice I was given, I made sure to lock up properly, covered the broken wall with a blue tarp for temporary repairs, crafted some small items here and there, ate dinner, and went to bed early without staying up late.

The next morning, or rather, around midday, I was back at the rice field, continuing the harvest. That’s when I had two visitors: the Blue Witch in her usual shabby black robe and mask, and Sensei, dressed stylishly in autumn attire.

First, I beckoned the Blue Witch over and whispered my complaint.

“Hey, are you messing with me? Why’d you bring her here? If you’ve got business, couldn’t you just write a letter?”

“She’s here so you can immediately start learning magic for self-defense. You wouldn’t be able to master it just by reading a spellbook with phonetic symbols, right? Learning directly from Kei-chan is the fastest way.”

“Don’t hit me with facts like that.”

I glanced over at Ohinata-sensei. Beaming brighter than the clear autumn sky, she held up a basket that gave off a delicious, savory aroma.

Damn! A kid like her remembers to bring a gift? What a good child! But that’s exactly what stresses me out. Talking to this perfectly sociable version of Ohinata in her human form always makes me painfully aware of my own inadequacies.

Not that I dislike her. She’s a good kid—this is more about how we’re just not a good match personality-wise.

“Oh yeah, hold on a sec. Let me grab something.”

Before my brain got too fried from the impromptu magic lesson, I went back to the house to fetch a photo frame and brought it back.

“Here, take this. I made it as a thank-you gift for helping me out yesterday. Hope you like it. Your sister liked pink, right? And she kept a Java sparrow? I worked those details into the design.”

I knew the Blue Witch carried a small photo album with pictures of her sister. (The parts that seemed to include their parents or childhood friends had been blacked out—pretty dark, honestly.)

The photo album looked pretty worn out, so I figured transferring the photos to a proper frame to display them might be a good idea.

The Blue Witch took the frame from me, stared at it silently for a while, and just when I thought she might’ve been turned to stone by some kind of petrification spell, she softly said,

“…Thank you.”

“Wait, are you about to cry?”

“Shut it. If you’re going to show concern, at least give me five seconds to gather myself.”

“Uh, my bad. I get too relaxed talking to you and end up slipping up. But, you know, if this kind of casual chatting makes us friends, then maybe having a friend isn’t so bad.”

“…What exactly are you trying to do to my emotions?”

The Blue Witch glanced over to see Ohinata-sensei smiling brightly at our exchange, then cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Anyway, I’ve already explained the situation to Kei-chan. Learn the magic you need to protect yourself. I’m going to patrol Okutama and take care of any nearby monsters.”

With that, the Blue Witch hurried off into the mountains.

That left me alone with Ohinata-sensei, who, oblivious to my discomfort, started talking to me in her usual, friendly way.

“It’s been a while, Dairi-san. We’ve exchanged letters, but I’m really glad to see you in person again! Still, talking to me must be exhausting for you, right? I’ve picked out some simple, easy-to-learn spells for you, so let’s breeze through them! The sooner you learn, the sooner we’ll be done. Let’s do this!”

Ohinata-sensei clenched her fist in front of her chest encouragingly, cheering me on.

Argh! That kind of efficient, considerate, and bright demeanor is exactly what I can’t handle! I wish she’d be more mechanical and impersonal—but of course, I can’t just dismiss her kindness. That’s the real struggle here (cue mental breakdown).

“Uh, okay, how about we use the living room for the lesson since the workshop’s trashed right now?”

“Sure! Oh, and here—these are hash browns I made with fresh potatoes. Enjoy them with dinner!”

I finished up the last bit of the rice harvest before bringing Ohinata-sensei back to the house.

Thinking the hash browns would taste better warm, we snacked on them with some hot water as we started the one-on-one lesson.

Ohinata, holding a handwritten list on loose-leaf paper, began with a preliminary consultation.

“Alright then. About the magic you’ll be learning this time, it’s subject to restrictions based on your mana capacity. To deal with stronger monsters, you need powerful spells, and powerful spells consume a lot of mana. High-mana spells are often advanced and include unpronounceable sounds, though there are exceptions. Today, we’ll focus on learning one or two of those useful, advanced spells that don’t include unpronounceable sounds and are within the range of your mana capacity. To do that, I’d like to get an idea of how much mana you have. I’ve heard you have a lot of mana, but in terms of how many times you can consecutively cast Ute-Aaaaah, what would you estimate?”

“Hmm, come to think of it, I’ve never actually measured it properly. How many times? Maybe 50 or 60? If it’s Frozen Spear Vaala, I can cast it three times, but not four.”

“I see, I see. Then anything above that is probably out of reach… Let’s see. Just answer based on your intuition—of these three spells, which would you like to learn: Summon Familiar, Create Lost Mist, or Enter a Deathlike State?”

“Isn’t it basically two options? Does the Enter a Deathlike State spell even have any practical use?”

“It makes you harder to detect visually or through scent by monsters, witches, or mages. We don’t fully understand the mechanics behind it, though.”

“Well, that sounds useful.”

As the name suggests, you’d probably be unable to move while in a deathlike state, but it seems incredibly handy for evading enemies. It feels like a survival spell for those who can’t fight their way out.

“Well, I’m most interested in Summon Familiar, though.”

“Got it. Let’s start learning the Summon Familiar spell. The incantation looks like this.”

Ohinata-sensei took a blank sheet of loose-leaf paper and wrote in large letters:
‘If it ensures the safety of my son, I’m willing to gouge out my eyes.’

Along with this unsettling Japanese phrase, she added the reading for it: ‘Yomohorogejuya Taketatee, Kunnumu Waa.’ She then showed it to me.

Uh, this is terrifying.

“Hold on a second. This spell doesn’t actually involve gouging out my eyes, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t. Don’t worry. That’s just what the incantation says, but when you cast it, a familiar in the form of an eyeball simply pops out. This is a spell from the Eye Witch. The core word is ‘Eye Kunnumu.’ When you cast it, a single eyeball familiar appears, and you can control it at will with your thoughts. Not only can you share its vision, but you can also hear sounds and deliver your voice through it. It can even fly, though its maximum altitude is about 10 meters. The unique feature of this spell is that once summoned, the familiar will remain until it’s destroyed or you dismiss it. The mana you expend when casting it temporarily reduces your maximum mana capacity, and that part won’t regenerate. However, for instance, if you let Blue-san hold onto the familiar you summoned, you could call for help anytime in an emergency.”

“So it’s basically like video calling.”

This is wild. Are you telling me I can have a communication device in this post-apocalyptic world where all the electric and communication networks have been destroyed? That’s insane! From the sound of it, it could also be used for reconnaissance. The information advantage would be ridiculous!

“Exactly. Due to its high mana consumption, very few humans are capable of using this spell, but it seems like you could manage to summon at least one.”

“Does this spell have a communication range limit? Like a point where the signal drops?”

“Great question. The communication range seems to depend on one’s mana control skills. For example, the Eye Witch can manage a radius of 180 kilometers, but when I use it, my range is about 20 kilometers. I imagine your range would be around the same.”

“20 kilometers, huh…”

While munching on a hash brown and pulling out the map to check, I confirmed that the range covered from Okutama to Ome. That’s plenty.

“And by the way, it can carry objects weighing up to 2 or 3 kilograms. While it doesn’t have combat capabilities, it can serve as a decoy.”

“So it works as a drone too, huh? Yeah, I’m learning this.”

“Oh, you’re not interested in hearing about the other spells? My personal recommendation is the Lost Mist spell.”

“Nah, I’m going with the eyeball one. It’s way too convenient to pass up.”

The thought that, if mass-produced, this spell could potentially revive the internet or even online shopping left a great impression on me. It’s the kind of magic that should spread worldwide. Though, it’d be hard since it requires a lot of mana to use.

“It really is incredibly convenient, isn’t it? Alright! Let’s get started on practicing. Okay, say it out loud together with me! ‘If the safety of my son is ensured, I’m willing to gouge out my eyes.’”

“Yomohoroge Juya Taketateee… Wait, I tripped over my words.”

“Are you okay? Hmm, let’s try pronouncing it slowly at first. The Taketateee part tends to trip up your tongue, so let’s focus there. Alright, nice and slow, repeat after me! ‘If it’s ensured, then Taketateee.’”

“Taketateee. No, wait, Taketate, Taketake… I’m about to lose it.”

“C-Calm down…!”

Taking breaks along the way, I spent half the day learning the Summon Eyeball Familiar spell.

During one of those breaks, Ohinata-sensei told me an interesting story: the Blood Moon, a red magic stone confiscated from the Dragon Witch, had been entrusted to the Tokyo Witches’ Assembly in accordance with the will of the Vampire Mage, who had left it with a lawyer.

The will stipulated that the magic stone would be handed over to a guardian of Minato City, provided advancements in the study of magic language and the cultivation of mana-strong and combat-capable civilians.

Apparently, the Vampire Mage had realized the limitations of governance by witches and mages alone and had been planning to promote the empowerment and political participation of ordinary people.

Smart. If humanity’s overall technology and abilities improved, we wouldn’t have to put up with powerhouses like the Dragon Witch, who might have strength but a trashy personality. Giving magic stones to ordinary people who’ve learned magic to boost their abilities makes way more sense than making already powerful witches and mages even stronger.

Though I only learned about the Vampire Mage after his death, the more I hear, the more I admire him.

Conversely, the Dragon Witch, who defied his will by stealing the magic stone for herself, just keeps losing points in my book—even though she isn’t here. Honestly, I feel like killing her would’ve been better. If she messes up again, I won’t even need to say it—the Blue Witch will probably take her down for good next time.

Anyway, thanks to the Vampire Mage’s initiative and the efforts of the Seer Mage, Ohinata-sensei’s lab’s research into magic language has borne fruit.

After plenty of pronunciation practice, I finally managed to activate the floating eyeball familiar. Poking at it as it hovered around, I felt gratitude for the unbroken chain of human will and achievement that made this possible.

I’ll reach out from my spot just outside the circle of humanity’s bonds and make full use of its results!

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