Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 56: Chapter 56

Ruth picked up the book at the top of the pile and raised an eyebrow.

Looking unsure of herself, Maxi mumbled a reply. “W-What happened a few days ago could h-happen again, so I th-thought I would p-prepare myself…”

Maxi waited for Ruth’s reaction, certain that he would scoff at her. But to her surprise, his face broke into a bright smile.

“A commendable effort.” He sounded as if he were complimenting a small child. “Did you start studying yesterday? Let me take a look.”

He walked over to sit down in the seat across from her, and before she could consent, he gathered the heap of parchment in his hands. Maxi glowered at him. She swore to herself that she would one day chastise him for touching a lady’s possessions without her permission.

“You are literate in the ancient tongue?” Ruth looked surprised.

“I-I learned it w-when I was young.”

In the years before Rosetta grew up to become a flawless young woman, the Duke of Croyso had subjected Maxi to rigorous instruction in a desperate bid to fix her impediment. But Maxi had shown little improvement, and Rosetta’s intelligence had soon become apparent. It was only then that Maxi was freed from the ordeal of reciting poetry in front of her haughty tutor and father once a month.

Maxi memorized these poems by staying up all night, but she had never been allowed to finish reciting any of them. Her father’s rod had always come lashing down before she could even finish the first verse. Blanching at the terrible memory, Maxi quickly looked down to hide her face.

“I-I am not f-fluent, though…”

“From your writing, I’d say that you are quite proficient.”

“I’ve a-always liked to read, s-so I’m a-able to read and wr-write, b-but there are m-many words I am not f-familiar with.”

Ruth remained silent for a long while. Unnerved by the silence, Maxi shifted her eyes nervously.

“Why not learn magic instead?” Ruth asked abruptly after examining the pieces of parchment.

Maxi blinked, not comprehending. Ruth rose from his seat, excited by his own suggestion.

“Why spend time learning medicine when you can learn magic instead? If you were to become capable of healing magic, you would help lessen my burden tremendously!”

Maxi furrowed her brows. He seemed to be making no effort to hide the fact that his suggestion was solely for his benefit.

“D-Didn’t you s-say that magic is the h-highest form of learning, and th-that it requires complex c-calculations? I-I am not suited for it.”

“Advanced magic requires years of research and practice, but basic magic is different. If one has mana affinity, a few years of study should be sufficient to master basic spells.”

“W-What is basic magic?”

“It refers to all non-elemental magic. Simple healing magic, levitation, and other minor spells fall under that category.”

Ruth spoke as if these spells were no more complex than addition and subtraction. Maxi gave him a timid smile.

“I-I would l-like to learn, b-but as you m-mentioned, it t-takes years of work. Wouldn’t s-studying healing arts yield faster-”

“I meant that it takes several years to cultivate mana affinity and to accumulate basic knowledge such as arithmetic and the ancient tongue. You already have mana affinity, though it isn’t strong. And since you’re also proficient in arithmetic and the ancient tongue, you’ve already met the basic conditions for learning magic. With a few months of practice, you should be capable of casting simple spells.”

Hope glimmered in Maxi’s heart. Would she really be able to learn magic? She looked up at Ruth with quivering eyes.

“D-Do you think I-I’ll be able to d-do it?”

“It’s worth a try. You have nothing to lose.”

He was right. Maxi mustered her courage.

“I-If you’re willing t-to teach me, I will do my b-best.”

“Then please come to the library tomorrow afternoon. I shall make the necessary preparations.”

Ruth walked over to a bookcase and removed two weighty tomes.

“These should help your understanding of magic. Please read them whenever you get the chance.”

Maxi hugged the books to her chest as she left the library, her heart racing. For the first time in her life, someone had seen potential in her.

***

The uncontrollable pounding of her heart kept Maxi up that night. Instead of trying to sleep, she lit a candle and read the books Ruth had given her until dark circles formed under her eyes. One book expounded the concept of magic, while the other explained its principles.

Hope flickered inside her when she realized that the books were not as difficult to understand as she had anticipated. The idea of becoming a sorceress no longer seemed so impossible.

She imagined herself shooting flames from her hands to vanquish monsters and raising storms to sweep away invaders. Then, she pictured a proud Riftan pulling her into a tight embrace. The thought was enough to put a broad grin on her face.

If she were to become capable of magic, she would be able to join Riftan on his campaigns. Having clean forgotten that she had once fainted at the sight of a monster, Maxi kicked her feet in the air as she lay on the bed, her heart swelling with hope.

Her fantasy, however, was shattered when she met Ruth the next day. The sorcerer had walked into the library looking just as eager as she, but as he began his lengthy lecture, Maxi found herself staring blankly at the intricate runes he had drawn on a large slate. After explaining the concept of magic, Ruth moved on to the principles by which magic runes worked. Maxi felt as if he were speaking a different language.

“Do you understand, my lady?”

When Ruth finally concluded his lecture, Maxi was so disheartened that she almost began to sob. Seeing her close to tears, Ruth creased his brows in confusion.

“Was there anything you didn’t understand?”

“I b-barely understood a-any of it. I-I’m not s-suited to th-this after all…”

“It’s too soon to give up.” Ruth seemed displeased by her lack of resolve. “You must learn to be tenacious. The less you understand, the more you must persist.”

Maxi, who was used to resigning herself to her fate, was bewildered by his counsel. She avoided meeting his eyes for a few moments before nodding tentatively.

“I-I understand.”

Ruth erased the diagram on the slate and drew a simpler one in its place.

“There’s an energy that flows through the natural world, invisible to the naked eye. Mages call this energy mana.”

Maxi promptly picked up her quill to take notes. Ruth waited until she had finished writing before continuing.

“Through training, mages are able to draw mana inside their body, and this concentration of mana is what we call magic.”

“A-Are they not th-the same thing?”

“The words are used interchangeably, but in theory, they are different in nature. If mana is a stable force that exists in equilibrium in the natural world, magic is a force of considerable instability that was forced to accumulate inside the body of a human or a monster. While mana adheres to the rules of nature, magic goes counter to it.”

“I c-can’t say I u-understand.”

“Allow me to demonstrate.” Ruth unfurled his fingers to show his palm. “The mana flowing through this room is currently in a state of perfect equilibrium. But if I do this…”

Ruth flicked his finger, and a fist-sized ball of fire burst into being.

“By using the energy that I accumulated, I broke the equilibrium inside this room. That is what we call magic. In the natural world, this would be considered a very unnatural state. This fire, along with the light and heat it emits, should not be present. So, nature puts up resistance to fight this anomaly. Mages call this resistance ‘negation.’ This energy tries to get rid of the surplus mana created by the mage to restore everything to its natural state. And it’s because of this natural energy that magic disappears after a while.”

As Ruth lowered his hand, the flame fizzled out.

“B-But d-didn’t you say r-runes were required t-to use magic?”

“The flame I just conjured was created through a rune. If mana is the ingredient, runes are the recipe. Runes contain detailed instructions on how much mana must be transfused and where it should be directed to create, let’s say, a flame of a certain size. Mages must maintain a certain amount of mana inside their body at all times and learn to properly manipulate it using runes.”

Maxi’s hands flew across the page as she took notes.

Ruth narrowed his eyes. “Do you understand everything up to this point?”

“Y-Yes, but…”

Maxi looked close to tears as she glanced down at the pile of books he had placed on the desk.

“I s-still cannot s-seem to grasp h-how that happens, o-or the p-principles behind it…”

“Let me explain.”

Scratching his head, Ruth rolled up the diagrams and placed them in his bag along with the books. Next, he took out a translucent stone from a small pouch.

“Take this, my lady. We’ll start by practicing how to accumulate and use mana.”

“W-What is this?”

“A stone used to help grow mana affinity. It absorbs mana from its surroundings and emits heat. If you hold it in your hands and try to discern the subtle flow of mana around it, you’ll be able to strengthen your mana affinity over time and improve your ability to perceive its movement. Please practice with this stone and read these books. Comprehending the principles of magic requires not only knowledge of arithmetic, but also geometry and metrology.”

As Ruth handed her three hefty volumes, Maxi felt the last of her confidence dissipate. She began to thumb through one of the books, but seeing the text-laden pages only caused her doubt to grow.

Maxi tried to recall her fantasies from the previous night for motivation: Riftan beaming at her as she accompanied him on his adventures, dressed in the magnificent garb of a mage. As she pictured herself traversing mountains and fields with Riftan, she gained fresh courage. She took the magic stone from Ruth.