Characters in this chapter:
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Sapphiras Perfectio, 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge
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Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier
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Matteo, Percival’s horse
“I think everyone does aggressive, intense magic. It’s flashy and easy for everyone to understand. That’s why I don’t think we can do the same thing. Your performance will be buried.”
It took a long time to have this discussion about what kind of performance to show. Everyone wanted to show a performance with fire, lightning or wind magic, but I’m sure every class will think about that.
“In that case, what is good?”
“Um, something fun and nice?”
When I said that, everyone sighed.
Why! Because magic is supposed to be fun, isn’t it?
“……U-um”
In the midst of the disagreement, one of the quieter girls in the class raised her hand gingerly.
When everyone turned their attention to her, she hesitantly took out a handkerchief from her uniform.
“Actually, there’s a view I’ve wanted to see very much since I was a little girl.”
When she opened her handkerchief, it was delicately and beautifully embroidered. The embroidery, which was made of colourful threads, had fairies and small birds dancing happily, flowers added vivid colours, and stars were embroidered here and there with gold thread. The female students exclaimed, ‘It’s wonderful.’ The embroidery motifs are the kind that a young lady would like, but above all, the embroidery skills are amazing.
“This is a handkerchief embroidered by my grandmother, and every time I look at this handkerchief, I wish I could go to such a dreamy world……so um,”
“Yes, I think it’s good! I think it’s perfect for expressing with magic!”
I was the first to voice my approval. It’s a world suitable for creating with magic. Most importantly, isn’t having a dream wonderful? If the other classes only show offensive magic, this fantasy world will definitely stand out and make a difference.
“Magic is all about imagination.”
“Imagination?”
The three of them tilted their heads.
I’m quickly teaching the class representatives, Floyd Holden, Jonathan Strange and Miss Behati McCartney, the tricks of the trade.
The important thing in magic is, of course, the amount of magical power and the ability to manipulate it accurately, but imagination is just as necessary. Surprisingly, people don’t know that. This has a lot to do with the amount of time it takes for the magic to activate.
“For example, if you are asked to draw a picture, the first thing you do is think about what you are going to draw. Think of that thinking time as the time it takes for the magic to be activated.”
“I see?”
“Somehow, I think I understand what you mean……”
“……”
All three of them look as if they don’t understand what I mean, so I add a few more explanations.
“Okay, if you ask me to draw a picture of a bird, I’ll draw a picture of the bird for now. If you specify the type, size, and colour of the bird, I can draw it immediately without thinking about how to draw it. It’s the same with magic. Magic is the same way. Magical power is always ready to be used for magic, but if the image of the magic user is unclear, it is difficult to give form to the magic and it will soon disappear. Let’s say you want to create a flame with magic. There are flames as small as the tip of a finger, and there are also powerful flames that can burn up magical beasts. It’s all about how clearly and accurately you can imagine the right flame for the right place.”
On the palm of my hand, I made the fairy embroidered on the handkerchief out of water. Thin wings and long, waving hair. Even her supple limbs and fluttering clothes were formed with water.
Everyone gave a little cheer. I also heard a voice saying ‘as expected’ but that’s not it.
“Everyone can do this too.”
“No, that’s impossible. That kind of difficult magic can only be done by Sapphiras.”
“I told you earlier that magic is imagination. When you think it’s impossible, you can’t do it. It’s true that it’s difficult to create this from the start, but you can gradually build up an image. You have to be as specific as possible, down to the smallest detail. Once you can do that, it’s easy to form it and keep it for a long time. That’s what we’re training to do. Well then, let’s start with a sphere.”
Start with a simple sphere that anyone can easily imagine. We did this in class. We will gradually make the shape of this sphere more complex. This time, there is an embroidery sample, so it is easy to picture it in your mind. Once you are able to create the shape, the next question is how long you can keep it in that shape. This is related to the amount of magic power, so it cannot be said that everyone can do it. This is where magic tools come in. With a wand, you can adjust your magic power with ease.
“It seems that the shape is generally okay. The rest is manipulating the magic, but this can be compensated for with a wand, so I’m going to ask the three of you to use wands.”
“……U-um, I’m sorry. I can’t use a wand.”
Miss Behati said apologetically.
She is the one everyone recommended, she is quite good at magic but her magic manipulation is unstable. I think she’s better off with the assistance of the wand.
I’ve never heard of anyone having trouble using a wand. Maybe my knowledge about wands is shallow. As a material, it is just a part of a plant or a beast.
How can such a wand be useless?
“Um, why?”
“Well, my father……he said that magicians who use wands aren’t first class. He won’t allow me to use them.”
Miss Behati was very reluctant to say why she couldn’t use a wand. She must have been concerned about people using magic with wands. There are several people in the class who love to use wands. Floyd is one of them. And me, of course. I didn’t think there were any magicians who were wand-deniers. But she herself doesn’t seem to be negative about using a wand.
Then that’s easy.
“When your father does calculations, he uses an arithmetic board to make sure there are no mistakes. A grain merchant uses a weighing balance to measure wheat and weighs it accurately to avoid losing money. I think it’s the same thing when a magician controls magical power with a wand. Magical power is not infinite. It is more important than anything else in practice to adjust that magical power well and use it rationally. If you are fighting a magical beast and your magical control fails and you find yourself in a tight spot, or if your magical power suddenly goes out of control and you end up hurting someone, your father won’t be able to help you.”
“Th-that’s true…… but,”
I know what you mean, Miss Behati. I, Sapphiras was the same. He couldn’t go against the Earl, and he had no choice but to silently accept whatever cruel treatment he received. That’s how strong his father’s influence is. Even so, if you are judged first-class or second-class by the way you work, I wonder what kind of obsession they have if they say they aren’t first-class if they use tools. If it is a tool to improve one’s ability, shouldn’t we rather use it more and more?
“Yeah. We’re still underage, so we can’t talk back to the head of the household, can we? In that case, you shouldn’t use a wand only in front of your father. There’s no need to seriously defend something that doesn’t benefit you at all. The day will come when even Miss Behati’s father will understand that his obsession is meaningless.”
Miss Behati thought for a moment, and then nodded her head.
And well, my classmates who were listening to my magic lecture like that also wanted me to teach them magic, so we all decided to practice magic together and prepare for the tournament.
In order not to let other classes see our performances until the day of the event, we secretly rehearse in unpopular forest clearings or grasslands.
In the meantime, the fashion-savvy girls had beautifully tailored their wands with scraps of lace and ribbons that they had brought with them, in keeping with the image of the performance. This was an ingenious way of making the wand look like a prop, in consideration of Miss Behati.
Everyone exchanged opinions on the embroidery worldview, and the magic performance was pretty much finished. Above all, the atmosphere in the class has improved a lot. I think that as we all worked together, we became more aware of each other as friends. This is a very good thing.
“Sapphiras seems to be having a lot of fun lately.”
I’m in a good mood in front of the dinner plate. Of course, it’s partly because today’s meat menu looks delicious, but also because the three representatives are getting on well together and the magic is becoming much more consistent. There is still time before the competition, and at this rate, the reproduction of that wonderful world of embroidery is just around the corner.
“Do you understand it after all?”
“Yes, I know.”
Percival has that kind look in his eyes that he gives Matteo, and my back starts to itch somehow. I don’t hate it, but it makes me feel uncomfortable.
“Th-that’s the thing, the preparations for the performance are going quite well. I can’t wait to show it off to everyone.”
“I see. I’m looking forward to the tournament.”
Come to think of it, I was only thinking about my own class and didn’t pay any attention to the other classes. I’m not sure if I should gather at least a little bit of information.
“What is Percival’s class like?”
“After school the three representatives are practising their acting. I think their magic skills are pretty good.”
“I see.”
If Percival says it’s pretty good, then I should think it’s decent skills. I’m not aiming for the Stella Award, but I want cheers from everyone.
I think briefly in my head about future challenges. After all, the number one thing is the stability of magic. Then, shortening the time from chanting to activation……
Percival must have noticed that I was thinking.
“……In case you’re wondering, Sapphiras and I are rivals between classes. I can’t disclose any more information.”
Saying that, he chuckled with a slightly evil look on his face.
Ugh! Can the Knight of the Sun smile like that?
I’m beaten, sure enough, Percival is seamless in all directions.
