Chapter 14 – It’s the Magic You Chose (2)

After his lecture on Mana circuit design and spell construction, Professor Roilen called Adela to his office. He was concerned about her condition.

Her fellow first-year representatives, Carl and Rebecca, were already rigorously practicing in the training ground for the upcoming magic duel.

However, Adela had not shown up even once.

“Adela. Are you feeling pressured about being selected?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“You haven’t been focusing in lectures lately, and your face is flushed. You don’t look well. If it’s too much, it’s okay to withdraw from the competition.”

There were plenty of students eager to participate in the duel. They might not be as skilled, but they’d at least be more capable than Adela.

However, apart from these practical considerations, Roilen was genuinely worried about her. He had heard rumors that she had been bullied by some ill-natured nobles since the beginning of the semester.

“I’m fine, Professor… Hiccup! I’ll compete.”

“Alright then… if that’s the case, try to get some fresh air over the weekend. Did you know there are quite a few sights to see around Farencia?”

As Adela left Roilen’s office, she let out a small sigh.

It had been a week, and her hiccups still hadn’t stopped.

She only wanted to learn magic—

All she had learned was that her first kiss tasted like bitter tobacco.

In her subsequent basic magicology class, she still couldn’t focus.

When the Lit-Vice test paper showed a faint yellow color, lighter than forsythia, she recalled Louis’s face.

And Ansen’s voice, the one who used to hit her.

“Oh, right. After the next lecture, bring the Lit-Vice test paper, okay? I want to see what kind of grand mansion the Rochear lady lives in.”

“Th-that’s…”

“What, got a problem!?”

“Ouch! Okay! Stop hitting me!!”

Yes, come to think of it, Louis had resolved that problem by stepping in.

It was she who had pestered him to teach her magic, even though he found it bothersome.

She needed to debut in society and get married.

To do that, she had to win the magic duel and get invited to the salon.

To do that, she had to learn magic from Louis.

And to do that…

— Hiccup!

I need to stop this first…

Adela covered her mouth with a handkerchief, trying to suppress the hiccups. She then waited until the campus was less crowded before heading to the convenience store.

***

When I was a child, back on Earth, various creatures had adapted and evolved over time to their environments.

One of the most common evolutions seen in cities was the electric cart driven by the yogurt ladies.

Segways with rechargeable electric motors started becoming intelligent after the bipedal model’s release, eventually taking over the association and half the world, proclaiming the Yogurt Empire.

It was a result of constant effort to survive in a harsh world.

I was no different. There was no world where a convenience store owner could afford to be complacent.

Constantly developing new business models and expanding the store was essential.

In this regard, the upcoming duel was quite significant for me.

The store had regained its peace, but I had a lot to do personally.

At night, with the first floor of the store brightly lit, I was busying myself in the kitchen.

Pop. Pop, pop.

Golden corn kernels popped on the oiled pan.

After adding a bit of salt and closing the lid, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“…What are you doing?”

See? I told you she’d come back.

Adela stood there, her hand touching her lips, holding a staff.

To ease her wariness, I opened the lid and offered her the popped corn.

“Want some?”

“What is this?”

“Popcorn.”

“Why are you making it?”

Why? To sell it during the duel, of course.

Such academy events were a great way to make a significant profit.

Who else would think of selling popcorn at a magic duel? It takes a sharp mind to survive.

Adela, slowly lowering her guard, nibbled on the popcorn. Simple-mindedness had its perks.

Despite everything, she didn’t possess the usual sinister traits of nobles, which was quite endearing.

She didn’t try to use duels as an excuse for violence or resort to underhanded tactics to take over someone else’s store.

Adela might be a bit slow, but she was a good person.

There was a reason why I was willing to teach her magic for free and give her popcorn.

“Have you decided? About learning magic from me.”

“Um, I’m here because of these hiccups… I came to stop them.”

“I can help with that too.”

“How? Hngh…?”

Of course, I can’t deny that there was a bit of selfish intent behind it, but it was all for improving her magical skills.

I wouldn’t go as far as to ruin her prospects for marriage.

A few kisses wouldn’t be much to worry about.

“Mm, hnnng…!”

The second kiss, with corn kernel shells in my mouth, was quite salty.

When our lips finally parted, her hiccups had stopped completely.

After a brief silence—

“H-how was it?”

She stood there, unable to even think of picking up her fallen staff, biting her lip. After a moment of thought, I answered.

“Too much salt. It’s really salty.”

“T-that’s not what I meant!!!”

***

I sat Adela down and explained in detail how the process of transferring my karma to her worked to amplify her magical power.

She wasn’t thrilled about accumulating karma in her body.

So, like a doctor obtaining consent before surgery, I meticulously explained the precautions.

I even brought out the Lit-Vice test paper to measure the karma, reassuring her that there would be no issues compared to before.

“Do you understand now?”

“Yes!”

Adela nodded eagerly after hearing my explanation.

“So, you want to kiss me.”

“…”

Clearly, she hadn’t understood at all.

Well, what did I expect from her?

At least she didn’t have a physiological aversion to it, which was fortunate.

“Alright, let’s practice one step at a time.”

I started with the 1st-level lightning magic <Thunderstrike> that Adela had used before.

“From now on, you must only use magic related to the Great Sky.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s the most stable spell structure.”

The forced increase in output due to the infusion of karma needed to be used as safely as possible.

Among the Three Originals, the Great Sky.

Magic derived from the sky generally involved circular magic circles, like the one she had used before.

These spells were characterized by their stability and ease of casting.

At Adela’s level, she could use spells like <Thunderstrike>, <Ignite>, and <Wind Shear>.

“Don’t you have a magical tool?”

I asked, looking at the staff she was using.

Since the beginning, she had been using a basic staff bought from the store.

I had carefully selected the wood, but the Rochear family’s magical tool would undoubtedly be much stronger than this metallurgical wood.

“No, this is all I have.”

“I heard the Ice Lance wielder uses a spear…”

“I can’t use that.”

“Alright, I understand.”

We went outside.

Clearing the outdoor table behind the store, we made a small open space.

“Try casting the <Thunderstrike> you used last time.”

“Yes!”

In the dark night sky, a bright yellow magic circle formed at Adela’s fingertips.

The structure of the spell hadn’t changed at all.

Within the Prium Mobile, the luminous star, Luminary.

And the chaotic formulas for speed, light, and heat.

The only difference was the increased output.

Crackle, crackle—!

Hmm…

Watching her complete the spell, I pondered.

Why couldn’t she cast magic properly?

Based on my battlefield experience, there were three reasons a mage would fail to cast a spell:

The spell was too complex for them to understand the structure.

They were too exhausted, and their Mana and karma were depleted.

Or, external interference disrupted the spell.

None of these seem to apply here.

If Adela were truly too dumb to understand the spell, she wouldn’t even be able to draw the magic circle.

If she couldn’t manage a 1st-level spell, it would be better for her to work with me in the store and sell popcorn at events instead of marrying a count.

Her lineage was also notable. Adela Silvesta’s blood was still that of the Rochear family, the pride of the North Sea.

She wouldn’t be inherently less responsive to Mana, and considering the amount of karma I had infused, her output was quite decent.

Lastly, my <End of Magic> effect wouldn’t apply unless I was directly touching the spellcaster or the location of the spell.

There was no one else here, so Adela’s magic couldn’t be interrupted by a third party.

“Oh, it’s working!!”

Crackle, crackle!!

Rumble—!

The previously unstable Mana flow stabilized with the aid of karma, and the spell successfully manifested.

A massive bolt of electricity shot up into the sky, centered around her staff, illuminating even the underside of distant clouds.

No one would believe this was just a 1st-level spell based on its power.

“Teacher! I did it!”

Seeing Adela jump with joy, I smiled inwardly.

Yes, it didn’t matter why she couldn’t cast spells before.

Even if she were a normal mage, she wouldn’t be able to outdo the second years in terms of the number of spells or intricate control.

My strategy for victory was simple.

While the other two members stalled, Adela, infused with karma, would unleash a powerful strike to take out all three opponents at once.

Given the power of the <Thunderstrike> she just cast, a slight mistake could affect her too, but as long as she stuck to sky-related spells, it wouldn’t be an issue.

I would personally fine-tune that precarious balance.

“Can I finish the popcorn?”

“Go ahead.”

While Adela played her part in the competition, I would sell popcorn and watch the show.

I had protected the store, made money, and now had a formidable strategy.

It was indeed a brilliant plan.