Chapter 46 Causal Therapy
Ms. Elsa woke up feeling out of sorts──groggy, her body drained.
When Ms. Helmine introduced Yuruyana and me, she bowed deeply, showing even more humility than usual.
"I'm sorry for greeting you looking like this. Milady, you've gone to such lengths for me... thank you."
"It's fine. I'm doing this because I want to."
Ms. Helmine's tone when talking to Ms. Elsa was as gentle and steady as if she were a man.
Maybe that was just her true nature──no pretense.
First, before the sleepiness takes hold again, she handed Ms. Elsa the medicine.
Ms. Elsa struggled with the unfamiliar taste but slowly swallowed, using a spoon.
Then, it was time to eat.
"I feel like my body's warming up. Even though it's summer, I've been freezing all this time."
"That's one of the symptoms of the Sleeping Illness. The medicine's doing its job."
Hearing Yuruyana's words, Ms. Helmine's face softened──more relieved than Ms. Elsa herself.
But then,
"Still, this medicine only treats the symptoms. The root cause of the Sleeping Illness is something else entirely."
Yuruyana, scribbling notes on a clipboard, scratched her head with the back of her pen in frustration.
"Have you pinpointed the cause?"
"Sort of. We know the magic gets clogged due to mana overload──probably from magic going out of control. But *why* it gets blocked? That's still a mystery."
Though he didn't grasp all the technical details, Yuruyana's medicine was said to work by influencing the circulating mana inside Ms. Elsa's body, temporarily clearing the blockage.
But once the effect wore off, the mana would back up again, and the same symptoms would recur.
"As long as you take the medicine properly, you should be able to live normally. Sometimes it clears up on its own, too."
Hearing that, Ms. Helmine's face suddenly brightened, but Ms. Elsa kept her expression stiff──still worried.
"So... that means I have to keep taking arcane medicine regularly, right? How much does that stuff cost?"
"Don't worry──I'll cover the treatment expenses."
But Ms. Elsa looked away, shaking her head.
"I don't want to be a burden to you, Milady. As it is, I'm causing trouble by not being able to work."
"That's..."
Ms. Helmine started to say something, then her eyes widened with realization.
For her, a wealthy woman, the financial burden didn't matter as long as her dear one could live comfortably.
But Ms. Elsa doesn't like being helped one-sidedly.
"Is there no way to fundamentally solve the magical congestion? Like, surgery, perhaps..."
The fact that it might be resolved means there's also a chance it never will be.
If it drags on, Ms. Helmine's burden will only grow heavier.
Ms. Elsa is worried about that.
"Hmmm, I've never heard of surgery for this. After all, magical circuits aren't something you can see or easily modify..."
Lost in thought, I was actually pondering over mechanical circuits.
"If it were just Arcane Circuitry clogging up, I could fix it..."
"Wait, you can fix it!?"
"Oops, I didn't mean to startle you."
Yuruyana overreacted to my quiet mumbling, nearly tumbling off his chair.
He scrambled to grip the backrest and steady himself.
"I was talking about machines."
"How do you do that? Could the same thing work on people too!"
Certainly, Arcane Machinery circuits are modeled after biological ones, so theoretically, it might be possible.
"...You thread a fine stream of magic through the circuit to pinpoint the congestion, then repair the damaged spot. Usually, it's just dust buildup or a deteriorated Arcane Art formula around the clog."
To be honest, it's such delicate work that no one bothers with it.
It's often quicker to just build a new one from scratch, and if you can manipulate magic that finely, you're better off becoming an Arcanist than a mechanic.
After explaining this,
"So, it's a technique you'd only have if you're as much of a fanatic as Tsukumo."
"My bad, I'm a bit of a fanatic."
"Hey, that fanaticism might come in handy. Just being able to identify the congestion and its cause changes what we can do."
I guess that's how it is.
"But still, forcing humans to do the same as machines... that's going too far."
"Try anything you think could work! I won't hold a grudge no matter what happens, and I'll pay you for it."
Ms. Elsa, completely awakened, leans forward with her eyes alight, while Yuruyana and Ms. Helmine-watchers hold their breath, eager.
Even as I think I should've kept quiet, it's already too late.
"If you start feeling off even a little, tell me immediately."
"Yes."
After double-checking, I grasp Ms. Elsa's hand and close my eyes──ready.
Feeling someone else's magic flow? Hard. Best to cut off visual details when you focus.
Ms. Elsa's circuits and my sense of them blend as I move cautiously, toning down output, tracing slow.
Not just Ms. Elsa──Yuruyana and Ms. Helmine, watching quietly, hold their breath. The silence is so thick I hear the wind outside.
"Ah, here it is."
The faint magic I sent out suddenly halts.
Thanks to Yuruyana's remedy, I can still push past──yet, like the narrow opening of a bottle, the flow's clearly blocked, sluggish.
"Yuruyana, it's around the solar plexus. The flow's narrowing suddenly."
"I see, that's why it gets clogged. Ugh, if only there was a way to open it up.."
I leave Yuruyana to think, returning to casual chatter.
As I trace Ms. Elsa's circuit, one thing becomes obvious.
"Ms. Elsa, have you ever studied magic?"
"Not much. Just borrowed some books from the young lady and read a little... What of it?"
"You have an incredible amount of magic power──almost enough to become an Arcanist."
"What!?"
It's a shame she doesn't train──she's practically pouring magic out. With this level, a family of 4 could save up enough in just a week. Maybe more if she was healthier.
"By the way, I heard the Sleeping Illness mostly affects young, magic-rich people... especially women. Back in the day, they called it 'Witch's Malady.'"
Yuruyana, quietly tidying up, mutters.
"Some regions won't even bury those taken by the devil──dead or alive──even if they're family."
That's a crazy superstition...
"People find comfort in rationalizing things, even if it's not logical, even if it's wrong."
"Hey Tsukumo, you know training as an Arcanist supposedly boosts your magic power, right?"
"Yeah, that's the general consensus."
Of course, through training, you intuitively learn a more efficient use of mana, allowing it to flow stably to where it's needed.
I think my magic has gotten stronger since I started using it in real battles compared to when I was just a student.
Whether that's a good thing or not, I'll leave that alone.
"So, if you can use magic, doesn't that mean you can also train your circuits?"
"Hm, that might make sense."
Considering it's a disease that strikes young people with a lot of mana, I've never heard of anyone at our school, full of students our age, coming down with sleeping Illness.
Then again, I might just not have heard about it if I've been too isolated.
But when you think about it, a lot of things start to add up.
The fact that it's more common in women could be because more men aim to be Arcanists, so even if women have the mana, they might not be able to use magic.
That means, if you learn to handle mana and keep it circulating properly in your body, there might not be any issue at all.
"I, I'll give it a try! I'll study magic!"
"I'll help too! If I become an Arcanist, Elsa's status will improve."
"Milady..."
It's still just a hypothesis, and I can't say for sure if it'll really cure the sleeping Illness, but having a goal to strive for is a good thing.
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