Chapter 7 RAC Vol. 1 Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Magic

The next morning, I was buzzing with excitement right from the get-go, all because I was going to the church.

“You’ve been grinning all morning, big brother!”

“Marie, I’m going to the church today! I’m finally going to be able to use magic!”

“I know, big brother! You told me that a bunch of times yesterday!”

I was so happy I couldn’t hold it in, and I must have told Marie the same thing over and over yesterday, much to her annoyance. But I just couldn’t help myself. Even after breakfast, I was fidgeting and couldn’t focus on my usual chores like laundry and cleaning. I finally gave up, did a quick, sloppy job of cleaning, and decided to head over to Marcel’s place to let him know I was free to go to the central district tomorrow.

“Okay, I’m heading out to tell him about tomorrow!”

“Be careful out there!”

“Will do!”

I yelled back as I burst out the door and ran all the way to Marcel’s house. There wasn’t much time left before the lunch service started.

“Marcel! Hello!”

I shouted when I got to his house. After a short wait, Marcel poked his head out from the back door.

“Leon, what’s wrong? Forget somethin’?”

“No, that’s not it! I came to tell you I’m able to go to the central district tomorrow.”

“That was quick. Alright, why don’t we meet at my house tomorrow, then? The public carriage stop is right nearby.”

“Yes! That works perfectly.”

“I’ll get things ready, then.”

“Thank you! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

After finishing up with Marcel, I ran home again. Judging by the sun’s position, the midday bell was about to ring.

“I’m home!”

The midday bell rang at almost the exact same instant I opened the door and called out.

“Leon, prop the door open, please.”

Mom called that out from the kitchen, so I fixed the door open and waited in the dining hall for customers. Someone came in almost immediately, and I got busy helping with the lunch rush.

Some time passed as I helped with the busy lunch service. Now, it was finally over, and we were all eating lunch together.

“Marie, are you coming with us? You could go play with Nicola and Luke, too.”

“I’m coming with you!”

“Okay, then all four of us will go.”

It looked like we were all going to the church together. The lunch rush was so busy I’d forgotten about it for a second, but now I was getting all excited again! I mean, it’s magic. I’m going to be able to use magic!

I was so happy I couldn’t stop the goofy grin from spreading across my face.

“Mom, how do they do the mana measurement?”

“First, they measure your mana capacity. There’s a sort of metal plate that displays your mana level when you channel your magic into it. It shows a number from one to five, with five being the highest. Once they know your mana capacity, they find your magic affinity. To do that, you just try casting the basic magic for every affinity, one by one. The one that works is your affinity.”

So they use a device to measure mana capacity, but that doesn’t tell them the affinity. You just have to try them all until one works.

“You and Dad both have a fire affinity, right? Was it easy to use?”

“Yes, it was. When I tried the other affinities, nothing happened at all, but fire worked right away. I wonder what affinity you’ll have, Leon.”

So your own affinity just works immediately. I wonder what mine will be… I’m kind of hoping for healing. Being able to heal your own injuries would be a huge relief.

“I hope I get a healing affinity! Are some affinities more common than others?”

“A healing affinity is convenient, that’s for sure. You wouldn’t have to go to the clinic and pay money if you get hurt. But there is a bit of a skew in affinities. They say fire is the most common, and healing is the rarest.”

“Oh. Well, I guess I probably won’t get healing, then.”

“It’s not that rare. So you still have a chance.”

So there isn’t an extreme imbalance, but some are more common than others. I’m dying to know what mine is. I know I’ll find out when we go to the church, but I want to know now.

After lunch, we got ready to go and all walked to the church together. It was only about a twenty-minute walk, so it’s pretty close.

Whoa! So that’s the church. It’s got a certain… atmosphere. The building in the center looked like a chapel with a steeple, and it was connected by covered walkways to two slightly smaller buildings on either side. Overall, it was compact, but very neat and tidy.

“Mom, what are the buildings on the left and right?”

“An orphanage and a clinic. Churches always have them attached.”

So the church also serves as an orphanage and a hospital? Man, churches here are all-purpose. Speaking of which, I wonder what faith is like in this world.

“Mom, do people pray at the church a lot?”

“Hmm, some people do, but they’re in the minority. There are lots of churches, but I think most people see them as places for mana measurements or as clinics, rather than places for prayer.”

“Oh, really?”

If that’s the case, religion probably isn’t super powerful in this world. As a former Japanese person, dealing with strong religion is a pain, so that’s a relief.

While we were talking, we stepped inside the church. At the far end, there was what looked like a statue of a god, with long pews lined up facing it. Along the walls, there were several long tables and chairs, with a few people sitting at them. It looked like some kind of reception area.

When they saw us come in, one of the women sitting there walked over.

“Hello. How may I help you today?”

Dad answered her.

“We’re here for my son Leon’s mana measurement. Would it be possible to do that now?”

“Yes, there’s no one else waiting today, so we can do it right away.”

“That’s wonderful. I’ll leave Leon in your care, then.”

“Understood. Alright, Leon, please come this way.”

The woman pointed to one of the doors on the side of the chapel.

“I have to go by myself?”

I asked, feeling a little anxious about being alone at the church, but apparently, the mana measurement was done alone. Nothing I can do about it, I guess.

“Alright, Leon, do your best. We’ll be waiting right here,” Dad said.

“Do a good job, Leon.”

“Good luck, big brother!”

With everyone seeing me off, I passed through the indicated door.

The room I entered was extremely simple. There was just a table in the middle with two chairs facing each other. A metal plate was sitting on the table.

“Please sit in the chair closest to you.”

“Okay.”

I sat down, feeling a little nervous.

“We’ll begin the mana measurement. First, we’ll measure your mana capacity, so please place your hand on this metal plate. When you put your hand on it, it will automatically draw out your mana. Try to remember that sensation. It’s the same feeling as when you use magic.”

“Got it.”

I replied and nervously placed my hand on the metal plate. As I did, I felt something being drawn out from inside my body. So this is mana… I never noticed it at all before.

Maybe you only become aware of your mana, and thus able to use magic, after using this device. After my mana was drawn out for a short while, the woman spoke.

“You can take your hand off now.”

“Okay.”

“Your mana capacity has been measured. Your level is… five. That’s amazing! That’s the highest possible level. You’d even qualify to take the soldier’s exam.”

“The soldier’s exam?”

“To become a knight, you have to graduate from the Royal Academy, but commoners can become soldiers if their mana capacity is four or five and they pass a simple test. It’s a popular job because the pay is good.”

“Oh, that’s great!”

I fought the urge to speak formally and tried to sound like a kid. I didn’t know about the soldier thing. The good pay sounds nice, but I’m aiming for the Royal Academy, so I won’t be becoming a soldier.

“Alright, next let’s find your affinity. Do you know how many magic affinities there are?”

“Yep! Fire, water, wind, earth, body strengthening, and healing. Six of them!”

“That’s correct. We’ll have you try the simplest spell for each affinity, and the one you can use is your affinity. Which one would you like to try first?”

“I’d like to try healing.”

“Got it. The simplest healing-affinity magic is ‘Light.’ Hold out your index finger, imagine a light appearing on the tip, and chant ‘Light.’ You know how when you open a window during the day, light fills the room? Imagine that light. The most important thing for magic is visualization. If you layer your mana onto that image, the magic will activate. Once you’re used to it, you won’t need to chant, but for now, try chanting.”

“Okay. Light.”

I imagined my fingertip glowing, focused on that mana sensation from earlier, and chanted. Just as I’d pictured, my fingertip started to glow. Awesome! It worked! Magic is so cool.

“I did it!”

“So you have a healing affinity. Once you get the hang of magic, you’ll be able to use it easily with practice. Just remember that visualization is key, so keep practicing. The other famous healing-affinity spells are ‘Heal’ and ‘Purification.’ Heal mends wounds, and Purification cleans away dirt. But be careful, because both of them use a lot of mana. Purification, especially, is known for being very inefficient. Anyway, the fastest way to learn is to try them yourself. Oh, and—if you run out of mana, you’ll pass out.”

You pass out if you run out of mana!? That’s scary. I’ll have to be careful.

“I’ll be sure to practice carefully.”

“Good. You have a mana capacity of five, so you might even be able to heal broken bones.”

“Really! Can it cure sicknesses?”

“Healing magic can’t cure sickness. Only injuries.”

“Oh…”

Can it really not cure sicknesses? From what I’ve gathered, magic is determined by visualization and mana capacity, within the limits of one’s affinity. If that’s the case, it seems like a healing affinity should be able to cure sicknesses. Maybe I’ll try it out sometime. Well, after I get home.

“Well, keep practicing hard. Magic is very convenient to have. And since you have a healing affinity and a large mana capacity, you could work at the clinic. If you’re interested, please stop by.”

The woman said this with a smile that looked like a predator eyeing its prey. Sh-she’s terrifying… I should probably get out of here. If I stay, she might just force me to work at the clinic.

“Th-Thank you very much!”

I said quickly, standing up from the chair and heading for the door right behind me. After opening it, I thought I should at least say goodbye one more time before leaving, so I turned around. The woman was still staring at me with that same scary smile.

“S-So, I’ll, uh, be going now.”

“Yes, take care.”

She sent me off with normal words, but I was still spooked. Phew, I should probably avoid coming to the church too often…

After that final exchange, I returned to the chapel, where everyone was waiting for me. The moment I saw them, I felt all the tension just melt away.

“Leon, are you all done?”

“Yeah! My mana capacity is five, and I have a healing affinity!”

“You got a five?! That’s amazing, Leon. And with a healing affinity… I guess we can ask you to heal us if we get hurt.”

“That’s right. We’ll be counting on you from now on, Leon.”

“You got healing, big brother? Then it’s okay if I get hurt!”

“Marie, you should still try your best not to get hurt.”

“Okaay!”

Mom and Dad were smiling gently as they listened to me and Marie talk. I was truly, from the bottom of my heart, glad I got this affinity so I could heal my family.

“Well, shall we head home?”

“Yes. Let’s have a special, extravagant dinner tonight to celebrate.”

“Extravagant dinner! Yay!”

“Thanks, Mom!”

We left the church, chatting happily as we walked home. As I talked with everyone, I strengthened my resolve. I would practice hard and master this magic so I could protect my kind family.

After we got back from the church, Marie went to play at the neighbor’s house, and Mom and Dad started prepping for dinner. They said it would be extravagant, so I’m really looking forward to it.

I decided to start practicing magic right away and went to the living room. First, I should review ‘Light.’ Just like she taught me, I imagined a light on my fingertip…

Light.

A light, just as I’d imagined, appeared on my finger. I wonder if I can change the size? I tried, and I found I could make it very bright or very dim, and even change the color from white to yellow, all just by visualizing it.

Next, I’ll try casting without chanting. I pictured the light on my fingertip and tried moving my mana there. The light I imagined appeared. Success! Magic is incredible. Being able to do exactly what you imagine just by using mana… I have no idea what the principle behind it is, but it’s amazing.

Alright, next I’ll try ‘Heal.’ This is the one I want to master the most. But to test if ‘Heal’ is working properly, I need an injury…

I hate pain, but this is for practice! Steeling myself, I went to the storage room on the second floor. I grabbed the knife I take to the forest and gave my fingertip a small cut.

Ouch! This is going to suck if I can’t heal it. Thinking that, I pictured the wound closing and chanted, Heal.

Wow, the wound sealed up. It’s completely healed, like the cut was never even there. This is so amazing it’s almost hard to be surprised. What kind of principle is this? I can’t even begin to imagine.

But it felt like it used a lot more mana than the ‘Light’ spell. It also took a bit of time to heal. I wonder if a more detailed visualization would be better?

Wait, how do wounds heal? Platelets stop the bleeding, then the cells repair themselves, right? I don’t know the details, but visualizing something has to be better than nothing.

I cut my finger again and tried ‘Heal,’ this time visualizing everything I knew about the healing process. This time, the wound healed using about half the mana and in half the time. Incredible. Visualization really is the most important part.

Does this mean… if I can visualize it properly, I might be able to heal wounds bigger than broken bones, or maybe even sicknesses? I thought about it, but there’s no way to test that. I don’t want to get that badly injured myself, and it’s not like someone with that kind of injury is just going to show up. Besides, it’s better not to get injuries like that in the first place. It would be terrible if I couldn’t heal it. I’ll just pray I don’t get a chance to test it.

With those thoughts, I returned to the living room. Next up is ‘Purification.’ This one cleans things, right? Is there anything good to clean? I looked around the room and spotted a small wooden box covered in dust. I’ll clean this. I decided, and used ‘Purification.’

Purification.

The wooden box was enveloped in light, and when the light faded, it looked brand new. All the grime from before was completely gone. This is amazing! And super useful. I wonder… could I use this on my body?

Once the thought occurred to me, I had to try. Just wiping myself down with a cloth always left me feeling vaguely itchy, like I wasn’t really clean. And while I rinse my hair with water, I’m sure it’s still dirty.

I wanted to try it right this second. I cast the spell on myself, and it worked. Awesome! My hair feels so clean! My whole body feels like I just used soap!

I’m going to do this every day. I’ll clean my clothes and my bed, too. This is a temporary solution to all the things that have been bothering me since I came to this world! I was getting really pumped up and decided to clean the entire room. I tried to cast ‘Purification’ on the whole room at once.

But the spell didn’t activate properly. Instead, my vision went dark, and I lost consciousness.

“Ugh… hmm? Huh? Why was I sleeping here?”

For some reason, I was asleep on the living room floor. I was practicing magic, and then… what happened? Oh, right! I tried to use ‘Purification’ on the whole room, and suddenly everything went black. I must have passed out for a bit. The cause was probably using too much mana. The woman at the church did say you pass out if your mana runs out, and I can barely feel any mana in my body right now.

It’s recovering little by little, but it seems like a full recovery will take time. I really need to be careful with this; it’s dangerous. I was lucky I didn’t hit my head this time, but if I’d fallen badly, it could have been life-threatening. I need to get a proper sense of my own mana capacity.

This was my mistake. I got too excited and used ‘Purification’ without thinking. Now that I think about it, ‘Purification’ seemed to use way more mana than ‘Heal.’ It’s probably because I can’t visualize it in detail. For ‘Heal,’ I can think about body tissues and reduce the mana cost. But I can’t do that for ‘Purification.’ In Japan, there was no such phenomenon as dirt just vanishing and things becoming clean.

That means I should probably only use ‘Purification’ on myself every once in a while. And here I thought my problems were solved. I thought I could finally say goodbye to that stinky, dirty toilet and my sticky, gross hair.

Oh well, can’t be helped. I got the healing magic I wanted, and my mana capacity is five. It feels wrong to complain.

Come to think of it, I only tried healing magic first, so I never tried the other affinities. What happens if I try to use them?

Let’s give it a shot. I decided to try the fire magic Mom used before. I held up my index finger and imagined a flame lighting on the tip…

Ignite.

A flame lit on my fingertip.

“Whoa!”

I wasn’t expecting anything to happen, so it shocked me, and I jumped out of my chair.

Uh, what does this mean? I thought everyone was limited to just one affinity. Could it be… I can use other affinities, too?

I moved to the courtyard to try water magic. My mana has recovered a little, so a small spell should be fine. I don’t know the spell name, so I’ll just visualize and use mana. I stood in front of the bucket by the well and imagined it filling with water, then pushed out my mana… and the bucket was instantly full.

I really can use it. After that, I tried wind magic, earth magic, and body-strengthening magic. I could use all of them without any problem.

Um… Is this… because I’m a reincarnator? I can’t think of any other reason. Ugh, another secret I have to keep. Or… maybe I don’t have to hide it?

But if people found out, I’d definitely be noticed by someone important. I might be turned into a test subject… No way! It’s definitely better if no one knows! At least, until I have a powerful backer or become powerful myself, I’ll keep this a secret.

But when will that be? Keeping this to myself for that long is going to be tough… I wonder if it would be okay to tell Marcel? I don’t know why, but I just have a feeling I could trust him. It’s just a gut feeling. Yeah, I’ll think about it next time I see him.

Well, I have more secrets, but this is a lucky break in terms of self-preservation and convenience. I’ll have to practice the other affinities, too.

Let’s start with fire magic! I can’t do any flashy spells here, so maybe I’ll try making a fireball float in the air instead of shooting it. When you think of fire magic, you think of fireballs, right?

I visualized a fireball floating in front of me and used my mana. Just as I imagined, it appeared. This is so cool! To make it more efficient, I need a better image… Fire burns by consuming oxygen, so maybe I should visualize that?

I tried the spell again with that image, and I was able to create a fireball of the same size using only about one-fifth of the mana. The power of visualization is incredible.

After that, I practiced water magic to make a ‘Water Ball,’ wind magic I called ‘Wind,’ earth magic called ‘Rock,’ and body-strengthening magic called ‘Build Up.’ I just gave them random names. You don’t need them, but it sounds cooler this way.

For ‘Water Ball,’ I was able to reduce the mana cost significantly by visualizing water vapor in the air. For the other three, I reduced the mana cost dramatically by visualizing ‘Wind’ as invisible air, ‘Rock’ as zero gravity when lifting a stone and compressing earth when creating one, and ‘Build Up’ as my muscle mass increasing.

It seems I can use all affinities equally well. It’s bound to cause trouble, but being able to use all affinities is a blessing. It’s super convenient, and I can test all the magic for my magic tools by myself.

That’s right! I wanted to see if I could make ice. Let’s try it now.

I focused my mind, imagining water below zero degrees, the kind that would freeze with the slightest agitation. Uh, wait, water is moving water molecules, and ice is when they don’t move, right? I don’t really know… I should have studied more. Well, no use crying about it now. I visualized the best I could and filled the well bucket with water.

I stared at the water I’d created. It just looked like normal water. Is this really going to turn into ice? As I was watching it, I suddenly remembered. That’s right, I have to give it a shock! I remembered and quickly grabbed the bucket and shook it. The water inside instantly froze solid with a crack. Awesome, it worked! Can’t I make a refrigerator with this?!

I was getting all pumped up and ready to practice more when I heard Mom’s voice from the living room.

“Leon! Dinner’s ready!”

“O-Okay! Coming!”

I quickly replied, dropped the bucket back into the well so no one would see the ice, and hurried back to the living room.

“Sorry for the wait, Mom.”

When I got to the living room, Marie and Dad were already sitting at the table.

“What were you doing, Leon?”

“Practicing magic. I learned how to use ‘Heal’!”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Actually, I cut my finger a little bit with a knife earlier. Could you heal it for me?”

“Okay! Heal.”

I took Mom’s hand and chanted. The wound healed instantly. I couldn’t even tell where the cut had been.

“That’s amazing…”

“My, I’ve never seen it work so fast.”

Mom and Dad were staring in shock. What are they so surprised about?

“What’s wrong?”

“W-Well, it’s just… usually it takes much longer for a wound to close, and it often leaves a small scar. I was just shocked at how amazing your magic is.”

“Yeah, I was surprised too,” Dad added, smiling gently and ruffling my hair. “You might have a real talent for magic, Leon.”

Not only can I use every affinity, but my healing magic is abnormal, too. I’d better stop using magic recklessly from now on.

“Wow, big brother, you’re amazing! I want you to do it to me!”

“You’re not hurt, are you, Marie? I’d rather you try not to get hurt, but if you ever do, I’ll heal you.”

“Okay! Thanks, big brother!”

“Alright, let’s eat.”

“Yeah! Thank you for the food!”

Dinner tonight was steak, one for each of us. This was an unthinkable luxury for a normal dinner.

“Thanks, Mom, Dad! This is delicious!”

When I said that, they both smiled warmly at me. This is real happiness. I’ll use this mysterious power to protect my family, no matter what. I swore it to myself.