episode_0090

I thought that the number of customers in the store was decreasing these days. I wonder what the reason is, but since there is nothing good about having a lot of customers, isn’t this better? … While thinking about it, I also thought that if I didn’t have too much, I might get fired.

There were really no customers today, so I left work early, so I tried to go back to the academy, but instead of going back and sleeping, I decided to just take a walk and wandered around Ignolia like nothing else. I stopped by the wand shop I went to with Sharon to get my wand inspected, went into the bookstore where Celestria said she lived, looked for a book worth reading, and was enjoying the moment of leisure that had come. I felt like someone was following me, so I naturally looked up. I turned it.

I wondered if Jeremy was there, but there was no one in front of me, so I thought it was just my mood and the moment I turned my head, someone was standing in front of me. Seeing that no one had appeared until just now, I thought it might be an instantaneous move and naturally raised my hand to the staff, and the person with his body and face covered by a long robe smiled slightly at me, then looked at me and opened his mouth.

“Do you want to fight in a place like this?”

“… … If you want to fight.”

“Hey, I thought the junior I knew wasn’t that thoughtless, so it wasn’t my mistake, right?”

As I took off the hood of my robe, Senior Chloe was looking at me.

“Why is a first-year academy student wandering around a place like this?”

“Hasn’t he passed away again?”

“The research at Kamos has been roughly completed. Aren’t you curious, junior? If you freeze the Salamander’s tail, will it actually retain the power of flame? If you melt the tears of the spirit, will the properties of mana appear? ”

“It’s not an area I’m curious about, and it’s also a research result that can be easily found by looking for books.”

“You don’t know unless you try, so that’s how I found it. Even if you freeze the Salamander’s tail, the power of the flame remains, but it only slightly possesses the mana of wind, and if you melt the spirit’s tears, the nature of the mana changes. Isn’t it a great discovery, junior?”

“… … Yes.”

“Wow, I never thought she would express with her whole body that she wasn’t interested. Erica’s student is more similar to Erica than I thought.”

“So why are you here?”

“There is a hidden magic material shop in the back alleys of Ignolia, and I thought you were looking for it. I guess not?”

“I was just taking a walk.”

“Hmm… … It’s a pity, if I were going there, I would have asked you to come with me. Because it’s convenient to have a porter.”

“There is a curfew, so I have to go back soon.”

“Well, I guess I should expect what I want from first graders. Then, see you later, junior?”

“Are you back at the academy now?”

Senior Claire smiled and nodded at what I said.

“Until something I want to research comes up.”

“Then, senior, can I ask you a favor?”

“What does my junior ask me for?”

“I want to see the magic you use.”

At my words, Claire looked at me with interest, went into her pocket, took out a small piece of stone, and threw it at me. As I carefully took the piece of stone, she spoke to me.

“Do you want to put some mana in?”

As my senior said, I moved my body’s mana and put it into the stone, and suddenly the stone began to move. Like a living being, the stones split and stuck together to form a small golem that was looking at me, and I opened my mouth to my senior.

“The alchemist carries a golem with him.”

“This is a new one I’m making, I didn’t even give it a name. My magic is based on alchemy, so I make magic potions for combat, make magic potions for support, and make golems to fight. Are you curious about this kind of magic?”

“Can I do it?”

“Hmm… … Then, I will give you a problem, junior.”

The senior pointed his finger at me and put the problem into words.

“What will happen if you mix the mana of the earth with a stone that mixes the mana of lightning and the mana of fire?”

“… … I do not know. Because I haven’t learned that kind of thing yet.”

“The correct answer is: nothing happens. Alchemists are people who are curious about such things. Even if others have already given the correct answer, they must continue to research and come up with their own correct answer. You may have already learned it in alchemy class, but there are already ways to make medicine, but there are other methods as well. Just as the medicine can be made using different ingredients and methods, the possibilities of alchemy are endless. My junior, you don’t have any talent in that area.”

I nodded slowly at those words. It might be true, alchemy class was always one of the boring classes. They say there is a correct answer, but there are various ways to get to the correct answer… … Most of the classes were difficult, as if learning a mixture of math class and science class.

“Someday, you will make a golem or make a magic potion, but you don’t seem like a person who would choose a method other than the prescribed one. So far, this is all my magic. Do you have any more questions?”

“This was helpful.”

“If you’re curious about combat-type magic, look to Arkadin instead of me. Arkadin knows quite a variety of magic, even though he doesn’t have any skills. Arkadin, who is not Isabel, Erica, or Leonard, who are called geniuses, will teach you quite well, right?”

“But I don’t have many opportunities to meet Arkadin.”

“Hmm… … Arkadin has his own lab near where the student meeting was held, so it’s a good idea to check it out. But learning magic from Arkadin… … It will be difficult because Arkadin is not the type to make disciples.”

“I would like to see the magic that Arkadin uses.”

“Arcadin’s lightning strike is terrifying.”

“I will remember.”

And Chloe senior started walking somewhere again, and I walked toward the academy.

The moment I saw Mr. Lai on the way to the restaurant, I felt like I was hearing Senior Leonard’s request in my head, so I cautiously called out to Mr. Lai.

“Lai C.”

“Do you have any business for me?”

“I request a duel.”

“It’s a duel, I didn’t think you’d have a hobby of competing with a no-nonsense wizard like me, but it’s good. I agree. Do you want to fight here now? If not, would you like to set a time?”

“How are you feeling after the lecture?”

“I’m fine, but you might be disappointed because I’m not a strong wizard, and you might actually ask me to teach you.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Then, see you later.”

Mr. Rai moved towards the restaurant again, and I watched him and then slowly moved towards the restaurant. As Leonard-senpai said, I received consent to the duel, but I didn’t know Rai-san’s skills or what kind of magic he used. Since he is Senior Leonard’s younger brother, does he control flames? If not, what kind of magic does he use?

When I entered the restaurant with that curiosity in mind, Sharon was looking at me and waving her hand. I sat down in front of Sharon and opened my mouth.

“You came out early today.”

“There is a duel after breakfast.”

“Duel?”

“Yes. Maybe there were rumors about the duel a few days ago, but I was asked to duel last night, so why refuse? I have to fight.”

“Nobles would be uncomfortable with that.”

“Even if you are a noble, you can refuse, but I also wanted to duel, maybe because I am a wizard too.”

“Wizards are not moths to fire.”

“But I can’t hold back if I have any questions.”

“What are you curious about?”

“Maybe it’s a new magic or a magic link?”

As I spoke, Ceresria sat down next to me, and I slightly bowed my head to her.

“The moment a wizard challenges a duel is usually that kind of moment, so there are times when you wonder how far your strength will go. Since Sharon didn’t put up a fight, maybe her opponent thinks the same way?”

“I also came up with a new magic. Although I can’t make a prison out of ice like Astan, it involves linking up after tying up the opponent.”

“That’s a pretty good idea. Instead of consuming a large amount of mana like Aston, it creates mana like a chain to bind the opponent. I heard that among the wizards who participated in Rune’s martial arts festival in the past, there was someone who used such magic. I think so.”

“That person used magic without using the attribute, but I added the attribute, so maybe it would be more effective if I used it with lightning mana or ice mana?”

“It would be the same for flames. The characteristics of Light Mana have never been revealed properly. I heard that it absorbs nearby mana, but I don’t really know anything about its characteristics beyond that.”

“I think the mana of light has the effect of sealing the wizard’s mana to some extent, so I asked the wizard who competed yesterday and he said the magic wasn’t broken.”

“You want to experiment, right? What is today’s match?”

“It’s just a number of possibilities, but we need to find out if it has to touch the opponent’s body like a chain, or if it absorbs the opponent’s mana like the mana of light absorbs the surrounding mana.”

“I look forward to it, because not much research has been done on the magic of light.”

“Someday, I will challenge the two of you.”

At those words, I nodded and smiled.

“If you want.”