Chapter 122 The Strong Enemy And How To Read It
"Are you sure I can eat all of this!?"
Blaze's eyes sparkled as he gazed at the light meals and sweets prepared on the terrace.
"Of course, it's fine. Help yourself to as much as you like."
Although Sara had recently become accustomed to behaving like a noble lady, she well understood why Blaze was so excited.
After all, sweets in this world were extremely expensive. Commoners could only afford to eat fruit at best, and unless it was a special occasion, they couldn't even have sugary treats. And for Blaze, who had been treated like a sl*ve in the mercenary group, sweets were an impossible luxury.
"Do you know what sweets are?"
"Yeah. I've seen them at tea parties when I was a bodyguard for nobles. And the chef at that house would always give me leftover soup or bread, but on the last day, they even gave me failed sweets."
'Ah, I guess they felt sorry for Blaze...'
Even if they were failed products, sweets made with precious sugar would spark a fierce competition among the servants. It was unthinkable to give them away to outsiders.
"That's right. You're our guest, Blaze, so eat as much as you like. You can even have seconds."
"Yes!"
'Later, Mister Thomas might scold him for bad manners, but I'll let Blaze enjoy himself for now.'
Although his attitude and conversation were a bit impolite, Blaze still followed the etiquette he had just learned, using his cutlery to eat the light meals and sweets carefully.
In contrast, Scott hadn't touched his food. Considering he was a growing boy, it was strange that he wasn't eating even though he must be hungry, and he seemed to be lost in thought.
"Scott, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I was just thinking about something."
With a wry smile, Scott began to eat the quiche in front of him.
"What were you thinking about?"
"Earlier, Sara used magic with multiple attributes, right?"
"Yeah."
"I knew magic like that existed, but I've never seen it in action, so I was surprised."
"Really?"
Sara tilted her head. However, Scott's way of using magic was clearly multi-attribute.
"Ms. Sara, it's no wonder Scott is surprised. Even among upperclassmen at the Academy, there are few people who can use multi-attribute magic so easily and without incantations."
"Huh?"
"You didn't know that, did you?"
'I wouldn't know, and neither would Miss Rebecca, since we didn't attend the Academy.'
"Of course, it's only natural that I wouldn't know, since I have no connection to the Academy and am unfamiliar with its norms."
"This is impolite of me. Indeed, as you say. I'm the one who's surprised."
Mister Thomas also looked troubled.
"So, Scott and Blaze don't use incantations, right?"
"That's right, Ms. Sara. Many people who can unconsciously manifest magic don't need incantations."
"Are there different types of magic manifestation?"
"I see. That's where it starts. Then let me teach you the basics of magic education at the Academy."
To summarize Thomas's explanation, there are 2 types of people who can use magic: those who manifest it unconsciously and those who do so consciously. When Sara fell into the pool, she unconsciously manifested water-attribute magic due to the life-threatening situation. This pattern is common among children who develop magic.
However, there are also people who possess magical power but don't manifest it, and instead grow up to attend the Academy. These people recognize magic visually, imagine the phenomenon that occurs before their eyes, and manifest the same magic. When they consciously manifest magic, the incantation serves as a keyword to enhance their imagination and assist in magic activation.
"So, is it just that they think they can recreate the phenomenon they see before their eyes by chanting the incantation, Mister Thomas?"
"Hmm... I never thought of it that way, Ms. Sara. At the Academy, we're taught that incantations assist in magic activation."
"I see. Then Blaze, how did you manage to use fire magic?"
Blaze, who was eating sweets, swallowed what was in his mouth before answering.
"I wanted to light a fire in the fireplace."
"A fireplace?"
"Yeah. It was a really cold day when I came back from a mission with the mercenary group. Everyone else went out to taverns and brōtḥels, and I was the only one left at the base. Plus, they locked me in a room with a key from the outside so I wouldn't run away."
"That's harsh."
"Luckily, there was a fireplace and firewood in the room, but I didn't have any tools to light it. I thought to myself, 'If only I could light the firewood...' and then the fire started."
"That's good that you have fire magic..."
"When I got back, the leader was furious that I had lit the fire without permission and beat me up badly."
'What the... That child-abusing jerk. I should've cut off his arms and legs 2 or 3 times.'
"So, did the mercenary group find out that you could use magic?"
Scott leaned in, looking at Blaze's face.
"I didn't say anything, and they didn't ask how I lit the fire. I didn't mention that I used magic."
"That's good. You made a good choice, Blaze."
"Is that so, Mister Thomas?"
"Yes. If it was clear that you had magic, there was a high chance you'd be sold off for a high price."
"It might've been better than staying with the mercenary group..."
"If you were lucky, you might've been treated well, but if you were unlucky, you might've been turned into a human weapon and forced to learn attack magic, or used as a test subject."
"That's terrifying..."
'There's no such thing as human rights for orphans in this world... I'm really lucky, aren't I?'
"Now, I understand about Blaze. But how did you discover your magic, Scott?"
"Well you see, Sara, I was on a hunt and got separated from the adults when it started raining. I took shelter in a cave, but it turned out to be a bear's den."
"Ugh..."
"I panicked and tried to run, but my horse got scared and left me behind, and the bear started chasing me..."
Scott shuddered at the memory of that time.
"I had my sword with me, but I couldn't even think of drawing it, and for some reason, I suddenly thought of shooting a fireball like my father. It felt like I was being drawn to it."
"And then, did you manifest it?"
"Yeah, I did, but it wasn't a fireball, it was a huge pillar of fire. It was so big that it scared the bear and made it run away."
"Isn't that a magical rampage?"
"Probably. But my magic ran out quickly and I collapsed, and the adults who came to help me saw the pillar of fire."
"It's a good thing you didn't have as much magic as Blaze. If you did, you might have caused a forest fire before Blaze did."
"That might be true, but it's still frustrating. I wish I had a bit more magic too."
Scott, who was smiling cheerfully, didn't seem that frustrated.
"Well, thanks to Scott's magical rampage, I was able to get a job as his tutor. I also needed to prepare to attend the Academy."
"Is that from a while ago?"
"No, it was about 2 years ago."
"Anyway, Scott, you still haven't prepared to attend the Academy?"
"Ugh..."
"This Scott, student of mine, isn't really enthusiastic about studying, huh? He likes training with swords and magic, though."
"But Scott, you're pretty cool at this."
"Yes. And you said you'd surpass Ms. Sara earlier, so I'm sure you'll be fine from now on."
"That would be great."
Sara and Thomas exchanged glances and smiled wryly.
"Mister Thomas, let's get back to the topic. I think magic is something that makes your imagination a reality through magical power."
"That's correct, isn't it? If you can't imagine it clearly, magic won't activate."
"So, incantations aren't meant to increase your imaginative power, but to fix your imagination in place. In other words, it's like convincing yourself that 'if I say these words, this phenomenon will occur'."
"That's an interesting theory. But why did you think of it that way?"
'Well, I thought of it when I saw Miss Rebecca's incantation during our first magic training.'
"As you know, Mister Thomas, Miss Rebecca is incredibly skilled at using high-level magic. However, when she uses fire-attribute incantation magic, it's surprisingly weak. It's strange because she can use magic of other attributes without incantations just fine."
"In other words, if Miss Rebecca boosts her imagination with incantations, shouldn't her magic become even more amazing?"
Thomas got excited and unconsciously flipped his hair, revealing his beautiful face.
"Ah, sorry about that. I got a bit too excited."
He hastily fixed his hair.
"Mister Thomas, I was so surprised this morning that I got flustered, but you don't have to hide your face. Please just be yourself. I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable. You do have a lovely face, but I won't get too attached, so please don't worry."
"If it's Ms. Sara, you can get attached to me if you want."
"Hehe. If someone like me, a young girl, gets attached to you, people might think I'm a hidden child."
"In a few years, when Ms. Sara gets married, those rumors will disappear, I suppose."
Thomas flipped his hair again and flashed a dazzling smile.
'Whoa, that's a blinding smile! And his words are so smooth!'
But Sara herself was a beautiful girl, so for the servants standing by, this entire tea party was a dazzling spectacle. After all, they had a beautiful young man like a sun god, a red-haired and black-haired handsome boy, and a silver-haired beauty from their esteemed household, all gathered together. It was truly a feast for the eyes.
"Well, let's set aside the jokes for now. I've been thinking about incantations in a certain way."
"It wasn't a joke, but I'd like to verify Ms. Sara's opinion as a new theory."
Scott, who was watching the two from the side, was inwardly very anxious.
'This is bad, Mister Thomas is too strong an opponent!'
By the way, Blaze was completely absorbed in devouring sweets without a care in the world.
As the tea party was about to come to a close, a message was delivered to Sara.
'The distillation of Elma liquor is complete, and it's been stored in oak barrels. Please give us further instructions.'
Sara read the memo with the message and stood up on the spot.
"I'll head to the Maiden's Tower right away. Please prepare the carriage. Mister Thomas, Scott, Blaze, I'm sorry, but something has come up."
"Today's studies and training are already over, so it's no problem, but are you sure it's okay? Miss Rebecca isn't here, either."
"It's within the castle, so it's fine."
"I'm worried, so I'll tag along just in case. I apologize to Miss Rebecca for the inconvenience."
Thomas offered.
"If Sara doesn't mind, I'd like to come along with Blaze, too. I'm curious about what Sara's doing."
"Yeah, me too."
"It's not like I'm stopping you, but it might not be that interesting, you know?"
Then, the 3 men chimed in unison.
"""Whatever (Ms.)Sara does is definitely going to be interesting (no doubt about it)!"""
Author: It's like a paradise, isn't it?
Sara: I'm not a shotacon!
Author: What about Mister Thomas?
Sara: He's more like a spectator.
Author: I kind of understand that.
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