NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: Magical Training Revisited
Lute, 3-years old.
Walking, hearing conversations, and reaching the point of understanding them. The circumstances of this orphanage he was also able to understand a great deal about it.
El-sensei, a rabbit from the beast tribe, opened this orphanage for personal reasons.
For what reasons she opened this orphanage, I did not understand.
As of now, there are 18 children including myself living in this orphanage.
Every year, the amount of children increases at a pace of 2-4.
In a war that broke out before I was born, it seemed that the pace would increase by many, occasionally by up to 10 people in a year.
If that were the case, then one would assume the orphanage would also lack food to eat for each day, and the children would have depressed expressions. The economic conditions were bad, but by no means were the children needy.
The reason was that El-sensei was an excellent magician, so they didn’t have to go hungry.
For the sake of this small town without a doctor.
El-sensei acted as a substitute, and with the use of magic cured the townspeople.
And also gathered the town’s children and taught them reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and common etiquette from the home school she opened.
Furthermore, she also instructed children with talent as magicians on the basics.
She amassed so many favorable relationships that the townspeople, out of gratitude, would contribute to the orphanage, and often women would take the initiative to help out in the orphanage as volunteers.
Thanks to her contributions the children ate without worry.
With that said, it doesn’t mean the children did nothing.
4 year olds, looked after the younger children, 5~6 year olds during the day, studied the alphabet, reading, arithmetic, history, and general education. And after finishing, with the exception of sweeping, laundry——-cooking, were in charge of the chores.
When they turn 7 years old, they would receive simple jobs from the townspeople.
Weeding the fields, gathering the harvest, transporting the wheat, handling the poultry, sweeping the shops, etcetera.
A portion of that went to the orphanage.
Those that raised money, when they were 7 years old, left the orphanage.
They became merchant’s apprentices, craftsman disciples, maids-in training for the wealthy, etc.
Leaving the orphanage by the time you were 10, and getting a job became an unspoken rule.
I was immediately judged as [Having no talent in Magic]. But, I’m not particularly pessimistic.
[Despite having trouble in this parallel world, and not having the chance to fire off flashy magic due to bad luck.] just that much is fine.
Besides, If I use the magical tool, magical liquid metal it’s likely that I can manufacture guns in this world ——— handguns. So, I plan to study magic to the extent that I am able to produce handguns with the magical liquid metal.
Just like when I was practicing the alphabet among other things in class; I had also started openly attending lessons on the basics of magic.
Naturally, I could start attending class at the age of 7.
Typically, even if you were to practice at an age less than that, the body wouldn’t be ready yet, so it will inevitably be a burden—- I had those thoughts.
Character writing class was in the morning.
From midday to afternoon the basic magician class is held in the orphanage’s back yard.
In the afternoon, I watched as the lesson moved toward a corner of the backyard.
El-sensei had an expression that seemed to say she wanted to run away, she had the same expression in the character writing and other classes, though it is easy to overlook since she doesn’t make a fuss and is quiet about it.
In front of El-sensei, students studying the basics of magic are lined up.
There is one child from the orphanage, and two from the town —- three in total.
The orphanage’s older generation left, to officially be taught magic at a higher-level magic school, those in the class who have talent are rare and few in number.
Under El-sensei’s instructions, first is warm-up exercises.
Running around the building.
Muscle training.
And after a break, we train in hand-to-hand martial arts.
The martial arts in this world focuses on strikes and throws.
The martial art being taught is similar to wrestling and kickboxing.
After another break, fencing is next.
Holding a wooden sword, only doing practice swings.
After a while a fellow pupil partnered with El-sensei and did randori.
According to Sensei, those who have talent as a magician are also first rate fencers and martial artists.
Even though there seems to be the possibility of being defeated by a magician without using magic but with their sword or fist, I still didn’t give up and earnestly did this training.
Seems like the magician is unexpectedly physical.
Again, another break.
After that, there was even more magic training.
First of all,assistance magic (body reinforcement technique).
Magic that raises the hidden physical power of the body with magical power.
The body reinforcement ended, next was defending against enemy attack magic only through the use of defense processes———– the practice of making a defensive stance.
These two are required techniques for magicians.
Defensive stances are especially dangerous because it is based on instinct, if it can’t be deployed in an instant it’ll be useless in combat.
The other pupils are also suffering for the sake of learning defense magic, everyone’s practicing with all they have.
Lastly, more attack magic.
I intently inspected them from inside,under sensei’s guidance the pupils started the beginner attack magic practice.
[Burn in my hand weapon of fire! (Flame Lance!)]
In accordance to sensei’s yell, a one metre flame spear was made from thin air.
It was still a long way to go, not just in number, but manifestation delay, speed, and power.
Everyone practiced attacks to the limits of their magical power.
Furthermore, next year we will begin practicing chantless magic.
The way to do it is—if you clearly imagine the attack, shape, and power; use about twice the magical power than usual; and point your emotions at the enemy, the magic will be invoked.
If you compare it to normal magic, chantless magic comes out slower, has less power, and has larger magic power consumption.
It is a skill that is full of demerits. However, there are a lot of situations where you can’t use normal magic, where you can’t use your voice.
In those situations, whether or not you can use chantless magic means the difference between life and death.
That is why this is a required subject.
These are the particulars of a magician’s basic training.
By listening to the lectures from a corner of the backyard and looking at their way of doing it, I got the general gist of it.
A young priest reading unlearned scriptures before the gates—isn’t it?
While in class, I immediately started practice by myself.
First is defense formations.
(According to El-sensei, “Imagine a wall made with magic. Put in the feeling of rejecting and resisting the enemy’s attack, that way you can successfully make it”, is it?)
In other words, an AT ○ield, right? Got it.
“*inhale*, *exhale*, *inhale*, *exhale*”
Breathing repeatedly, I closed my eyes.
Concentrating my mind, I recalled the movie Evan○○lion, and strengthened the image.
I opened my eyes, and shouted!
“AT ○ield, open!”
A lightly shining diamond-shaped defense formation appeared before my eyes.
“Ooh! Yahoo! I did i~~t!”
I felt a lethargy like having my soul pulled out by a death god.
The latter part of my shouts of joy became slow, cracked, and disappeared.
Like the time I was killed by the chief bully, my consciousness fell down a dark, bottomless hole.
The next time I opened my eyes, I was laid down on a futon in the nursery.
According to my silver-haired female childhood friend Snow, I learned to make a defense formation by watching.
But not knowing moderation, I used up all the magic inside my body, pooped my pants, and fainted with my eyes turned white.
El-sensei who had noticed the accident interrupted her lesson and came running in confusion.
It seems a volunteer auntie washed my soiled ass and underwear, then changed my clothes and laid me down on a futon.
The childhood friend also got angry at me.
“That is a no-no! Lute-kun is making trouble for Sensei!”
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll be careful next time”
I already thought up countermeasures.
I won’t make the same mistake twice.
I was called over by El-sensei who had noticed me waking up, and was gently scolded.
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
Failure, failure☆!
On the inside I am an adult, but since the outside is a child I was forgiven right!
Even though I got scolded, I participated in magician’s basic class without punishment.
El-sensei and the students made a difficult face but the other party is a three-year old.
Of course, I don’t intent to join class without any countermeasures.
Based on last time’s failure, I already emptied the contents of my bowels at the toilet.
Even if I run out of magic power, this time nothing will leak out.
Perfect.
With a resolute expression, I once again joined special training.
I watched body strengthening arts practice.
Two townspeople joined in lessons with the first years.
They were having a light game while doing their body strengthening arts.
El-Sensei is in charge of the orphan who had just started joining lessons this year.
“Cover your body more uniformly with magic power. Being unbalanced only uses up your magic power, it’ll soon be used up”
“y, yes. I’ll do my best”
The beginner student responded to El-Sensei’s instruction with great effort.
Watching the conversation between the two, with El-Sensei’s advice as reference I tried doing body strengthening arts.
(umm…… “Cover my whole body evenly in magic power”, is it)
In other words, Hu○ter×Hu○ter’s Nen○Power right? Got it.
“Suu~, Haa~, Suu~, Haa~”
Cycling my breath, I closed my eyes.
Concentrating my mind, I recalled the part in the manga where the protagonist awakened Nen○Powers, and strengthened the image.
I opened my eyes, and shouted!
“Ha!”
Magic power like seething steam came pouring out of my body.
I tried jumping lightly, and easily flew twice my body height.
“Ooh! so this is the power of body strengthening arts! It really strengthens the body~~”
Once again a lethargy like having my soul being pulled out by a death god.
The latter part of my shouts of joy became slow, cracked, and disappeared.
Losing strength in my legs, I fell down face up just like that.
The next time I opened my eyes, I was laid down on a futon in the nursery.
According to my silver-haired female childhood friend Snow, I practiced the body strengthening arts I learned by watching.
But not knowing moderation, I used up all the magic power inside my body and fainted, fell on my back, hit my head on the rocks strewn around on the ground, bled spectacularly, became incontinent, puked, and having my throat blocked I collapsed from lack of oxygen.
El-sensei who had noticed the accident came running in confusion, and hadn’t it been for her aid, I would have died.
I was called over by El-sensei who had noticed me waking up, and was scolded in a loud voice by Sensei who raised her rabbit ears.
This is the first time I’ve seen El-Sensei so angry.
Even though on the inside I am over 30 years old, I violently trembled in fear.
This is truly the fear of angering someone who’s normally quiet, huh….
After the second disturbance, El-Sensei directly forbade me from Magician’s basic practice.
As expected, being disturbed twice is unpleasant.
However, I’m allowed to join if it’s reading or writing, since I could do it without disturbance…….
My magician lessons ran aground on a rock.