Volume 1 Chapter 30 Let's Try Making an Abacus II
That day ended with him endlessly writing and erasing over and over again.
'If I don't fix this, I'm going to lose my mind.'
After class that afternoon, Cain came to the training ground as usual (he decided to call the place where he always practice magic that).
"Forget about class for now. First, let's try making an abacus."
He noticed he's been talking to himself more lately, but he said it out loud anyway.
"It's my first time using 'Create Clay,' right? If I focus on the image, maybe I can make it work."
Cain practiced an air abacus, running through addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to lock in the image.
"By my will, form yourself. Create Clay!"
Dirt gathered under Cain's hand pointed at the ground, slowly shaping into an abacus.
It took on a familiar shape.
"No way, it actually worked! It's moving and making that shaking sound!"
Cain flicked and shook the beads several times.
*Crack!* On one flick, the part holding a bead snapped!.
"Ahhh! It broke! Maybe I didn't imagine the strength well enough?"
Cain remade it, this time imagining iron hardness.
"Abacus No. 2" came out much harder. Every time he flicked a bead, it rang like hitting a steel xylophone.
"It's fun like a musical instrument for someone like me with skill, but beginners might have trouble concentrating with this sound."
Eventually, "Abacus No. 8" was good enough to satisfy him.
The beads were a bit harder to flick, but making it slightly bigger than earth abacuses stopped it from breaking, and the sound wasn't too annoying.
"Alright! Next, I have to figure out how I came up with this, and maybe check if something like this already exists in this world."
Cain took "Abacus No. 2, 5, and 8" back to his room.
By the way, No. 5 was made about half the size of No. 2.
It was annoying to use.
Wishing Benjamin was here, Cain thought it over in his room, then remembered Mother Lydia would know about this sort of thing. He asked a maid where she was.
She'd been researching in the library for a while, so Cain decided to go there.
The Sanroze household has a small library.
Could it be that our ancestors collected all sorts of books, more than a regular Viscount family would have?.
Cain doesn't know the details.
He's still too young to be allowed inside, after all.
Upon reaching the library, one of the doors was already open.
Always getting scolded by Elder Sister Alice for not "knocking," he calls out to Mother Lydia, who must be inside, pounding away at the open door.
"Mother Lydia, it's Cain. Are you in there?"
He shouts a bit louder to make himself heard.
"Cain? I can't let go right now, just come in."
Permission to enter is granted from within.
Cain tiptoes his way into the library.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of old leather and paper.
The dim lighting, meant to protect the books, made the not-so-large library feel spacious.
As he ventured further in, he found Lydia engrossed in reading a book, illuminated by a magical lamp, making notes as she worked.
"Mother Lydia, it's Cain. I've come to the library for the first time. There sure are a lot of books."
He remarks with admiration, and Mother Lydia looks up from her work, removing her small glasses to see him.
"So, it's your first time, Cain. We should tell Luke to get you permission to enter. You've just started learning to read, after all."
She smiles kindly as she speaks.
That gesture made Cain's heart race in a way he couldn't quite understand.
To cover up his confusion, he lets his gaze wander.
His eyes fall upon the glowing spine of a particular book.
"What's that?"
The words slip out before he can stop them.
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