Magic Research and Analysis – Part 2

After returning the Ettentraut to the lake, I found myself alone in my room. I’d been a shut-in lately. With my eyes closed, I remained motionless for some time. Suddenly, I opened them and shouted loudly, “Fireball! Thunderbolt! Wind Blast! Ice Storm!”

As expected, nothing happened.

“Harken, oh spirits of the abyss! I doth beseech thee to bring forth the nameless one, the amalgamation of darkness and light, to manifest itself in my very midst!”

Of course, I couldn’t possibly summon anything. There was no sign of magical power being released. My body was neither heating up nor glowing.

“Yeah, I knew it. It’s just as I thought.”

No magic was activated. This outcome was expected, but I felt it was necessary to give it a shot. I still wasn’t sure if magic existed or not, but I knew I was getting close. In order to progress, I needed to look at things carefully and take it easy.

I decided to begin with meditation, as is standard practice in many manga and novels. Actually, I did have some sort of magical ability, and my body did glow. So all I had to do was clearly define the conditions for activation. With that in mind, I calmed my mind and entered a meditative state.

For nearly an hour, I focused my attention on my arms and body, but nothing happened. This came as no surprise. When I thought about it, the condition in which I was able to generate lights the other day had nothing to do with meditation. Yet, I knew I had to keep trying.

The door then burst open with a loud bang. “Theon! Are you here? Found you!”

“Marie, you should have knocked first.”

“Why? Is there anything to be embarrassed about?”

There wasn’t any. But as I got older, who knew. I didn’t want my sister to act like an insensitive mother, but she never listened to me.

“Actually, it’s perfect timing. Marie, please sit down.”

“I came to call you for snack time, but… well, never mind.”

I gestured for her to sit beside me on the bed and gave her a serious look.

“What are you staring at?”

“Marie, I want you to know that I love you.”

I said it sincerely, not as a member of the opposite sex, but as a family member expressing my true feelings. Her pale skin flushed instantly.

“W-what? What are you saying all of a sudden?!”

Suddenly, my body emitted a soft glow. The light flickered briefly before dissipating.

“Oh, so confessing releases magic. What’s going on… Could it be that it only reacts every time I confess? No, that’s absurd. Then…”

“Hey, Theon?”

As I was lost in thought, I realized that Marie was glaring at me.

Uh-oh.

This was the face she made when she was really angry. I winced and asked, “W-what can I do for you, big sister?”

“Theon, you treated me like a toy, didn’t you?”

“N-no, I didn’t!”

“You were making fun of me, weren’t you?”

“N-n-no, I wasn’t!”

She stood before me, her forehead veins bulging and her face twisted into a fierce expression.

“I messed up,” I thought to myself.

But as I reflected on my actions, I realized it was understandable for her to be angry, and I felt bad for not noticing it sooner. When it came to magic, it seemed that I’d become narrow-minded.

“U-um, you know, when I made a confession before, my magic was activated…”

“So, it was a lie?”

“N-no, it’s not a lie. It’s the truth. Those were all my honest feelings!”

“Y-you’re telling the truth?” Her expression softened quickly. Oh, she’s a softie.

“Yeah, it’s true.”

“I-I see. Then, maybe I’ll forgive you. Hehe.”

Yep, she’s cute. I resisted the urge to pat her on the head. After all, she’s got her pride, and treating her like a child would infuriate her. Well, technically, I’m her younger brother, but I’m actually older.

“So, did you find out anything?” Marie asked, taking my words seriously.

She’s always on my side, and I’d do the same for her.

“Hmm, it seems that my magic is released when I confess, but I don’t think it’s limited to just that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let me try something.”

“A-are you confessing again?! W-wait, um, I need to mentally prepare myself.”

“Oh no, I’m not doing that.”

“You’re not?”

Shortly after blushing, she turned gloomy. Although there were things that needed to be done, I thought it was cute how easily her expressions changed.

Anyway, I became aware of my own emotions after confessing my feelings to someone. In other words, I had strong emotions that might have served as the trigger. I figured that it couldn’t just be love but might also be other feelings.

So, I tried to imagine anger. As a human being, there were countless things to be angry about in life. Anger. Resentment. But strangely, I couldn’t recall ever being particularly angry. I realized that it didn’t have to be a negative emotion; it could be something positive, like joy, anticipation, excitement, or happiness.

I concentrated on activating my magic and tried to be aware of that feeling strongly. With a clear image of magic power imbued in my body, I accompanied it with a feeling of joy. Heat and light emanated from my body. I continued this for a few minutes while Marie silently watched over me.

Then I felt a warm sensation spread from around my heart. My body’s temperature gradually rose to the extremities. There’s no lethargy like when I had a high fever, nor was there uncomfortable heat like in summer. Just a soft and pleasant sensation filled my body. My body was glowing.

“I did it!”

“I-It’s glowing?!” Marie exclaimed in disbelief.

When I made eye contact with her for a few seconds, the light went out. As I expected, once I lost focus, the magic release came to an end.

“Theon, y-you did it on purpose, right?”

“Y-yeah! I did! But it was just a flash of light!”

“Even so, that’s amazing! Just the fact that there’s light!”

My body emitted light, but it’s useless and served no purpose. This occurrence, however, couldn’t be explained by conventional knowledge, and thus confirmed the existence of magic. It seemed to come from deep within the body, close to the heart.

Suddenly, I thought of electric eels. They have electric receptors that allow them to sense electrical fields, and they also possess a special organ that generates electricity. Perhaps the human body in this world has a similar ability to sense magic or a magic-generating organ.

I decided to refer to the state of magic release as the “magic aura state.” In reality, it was just an infusion of magic with no effect. The emitted light was meaningless because it didn’t impact the world, and not everyone could even see or perceive it due to limited magical perception.

This phenomenon had a unique nature, and even in the “magic aura state,” it didn’t reflect light on objects or illuminate the surroundings. However, it could potentially signal my existence from afar. The Ettentraut’s courtship ritual also generated a mass of magic with little effect, except for communication. It was like a peacock showing its feathers and dancing, and only those with the potential could feel slight changes in temperature and texture.

Regardless, I was happy with the results I achieved through my willpower, even if it was just emitting light.

“U-hehehe, I was able to use magic!”

“…Theon, you have such a weird expression.”

I let my cheeks go slack and continued to make a creepy laughing sound. I was happy. I was finally able to use magic that I’d longed for. Well, It’s technically not magic; it’s just the release of magical power, but it’s enough to give me hope that someday I might be able to use real magic. Plus, I caused an inexplicable phenomenon that couldn’t be explained by conventional knowledge. It may not seem like a big deal, but I couldn’t contain my excitement. I’d been dreaming for this moment for so long.

“Hehehe, hehe.”

“Theon, your laughter is so strange. But it’s the first time I’ve seen Theon look so happy. I’m glad.”

“Yeah! Hehe, I’m happy, uh-huh!”

She patted me gently on the head, and I basked in the warmth of her gentle smile. Even though I had a creepy grin on my face, there was an inexplicable atmosphere in the room. But both Marie and I were feeling happy.