Night.
After putting Ignis to bed, I head to Temuan’s room again.
I want to talk about the magic and potions he showed me today, the intriguing things he said about magical power, and other things we didn’t have time to discuss last night.
Knock knock knock.
“Are you awake?”
“It’s open. Come in.”
Entering the room, Temuan is already sitting on the sofa, ready to talk.
“I was waiting, thinking you’d come tonight.”
As expected, he’s sensitive to people’s feelings.
“Thank you. I want to hear more tonight.”
Well, maybe we’ll start with some small talk and then I’ll ask some questions.
“Ignis is sleeping soundly. He seemed more tired than he looked.”
“That’s to be expected. Those who are not accustomed to using magic tend to have less total magical power. Especially children whose bodies are not yet fully developed.”
“I see. But you said Ignis is exceptional, right? How much magical power does one normally have?”
I decided to start by asking about magical power, following the flow of the conversation.
“Well… There’s no way to measure magical power precisely yet, but there are approximate grades. For example, the fireball spell I had him use today is a third-tier spell. Someone who can use it at least ten times is a third-grade user, and someone who can use a fourth-tier spell ten times is a fourth-grade user. Most untrained adults are third-grade, and children are usually second-grade or below. It’s possible to increase magical power through training, but the growth rate varies from person to person. Some are born with a high amount of magical power.”
“Wow. Ignis can probably use it about ten times, so being on par with adults is indeed exceptional.”
At that time, he used various spells besides the fireball, and afterwards, Ignis said he could still use the fireball about five more times.
I also realized that the classification of spell tiers in this world seems to be based on the amount of magical power consumed, rather than the power or scale of the spell.
“And I have another question. How are the tiers classified?”
“The amount of magical power required increases with each tier. The second tier consumes twice as much magical power as the first tier, the third tier three times as much as the second tier, and the fourth tier four times as much as the third tier… and so on. The higher the tier, the more enormous the required magical power becomes.”
To my surprise, it’s a factorial formula. I had expected something like 2^(n-1), like 1, 2, 4, 8, 16… but this is quite different. If the magical power consumption of the first tier is 1 MP, then the fifth tier would consume 1*2*3*4*5 = 120 MP. The sixth tier would jump to 720 MP, the seventh to 5040 MP, and the eighth tier to 40320 MP, increasing rapidly.
No wonder most adults, without a wide distribution, are concentrated in the third grade.
“I see. So how many tiers of magic are there?”
“In theory, there could be any number of tiers. If we’re talking about existing spells, up to the eighth tier. But that’s no longer something handled by an individual; it’s ritual magic performed by a group of a hundred people.”
The highest is the eighth tier… ritual magic.
“But that means if you have enough magical power, you could use it alone, right?”
“That’s true, but in reality, it’s not feasible. …Though, I used to tell my students that. However, if it’s Iori, you might be able to use it.”
“Another thing to look forward to. And, oh, I mustn’t forget to talk about my magical power. Temuan, you mentioned something, right?”
At that time, Temuan seemed a bit shaken. I need to get a clear explanation.
“Indeed, Iori. I didn’t go into detail at that time, but how many times could you actually use it?”
“Sorry. I realized right away that this wasn’t normal, so I lied.”
I’m not a clueless protagonist swayed by the author’s whims… this is the real world, after all. Unless it’s a very trivial matter or I have a very disappointing intelligence, I’d normally realize it right away if there’s a trigger.
“To be honest, I can use it over 170,000 times. I can’t give an exact answer because I’m still increasing, and I don’t know what happens when I consume too much magical power. I understand that using magical power makes you tired, but if you fall below a certain level, you might faint, so you can’t use all your magical power, right?”
“The exact value is unknown, but when the remaining magical power is about one-tenth, one is hit with
a sudden feeling of fatigue, and if you continue to consume magical power forcibly from that state, the headache will increase and eventually lead to fainting. Basically, you’ll experience that before dying. It’s good to interpret that you can’t use up magical power. Magical power is closely related to the maintenance of life and is one of the defense instincts. …With as much magical power as you have, even if it falls below one-tenth, you should be able to handle various spells, but don’t overdo it, alright?”
“Got it.”
This is important information. It means that even if two people appear similarly exhausted, the reality could be vastly different. For those with higher grades, even the same one-tenth could mean a vastly different amount of remaining MP, and the options available to them are on a different level. With my amount of MP, I could use third-tier spells as many times as I want even if I drop below one-tenth. In terms of combat against others, I might be able to lure my opponent into being careless if I play my cards right. On the other hand, there might be opponents who try to deceive me, so I need to be cautious in my judgment.
“So, over 170,000 times… Even now, Iori is above the eighth grade. If it’s still increasing, the ninth and tenth grades might be possible. I don’t doubt it, but it’s hard to believe all at once… I apologize.”
“It’s okay if common sense gets in the way. Don’t worry about it.”
“Indeed. The reason I said I’d explain it last time is because of transcendents. As I explained, those with a natural sense, and even more so among them, are magicians. Those people tend to have a high affinity for magical power and generally have a large amount of it. And among magicians, a handful with extremely high growth rates and vast amounts of magical power can become what is known as a ‘demon.'”
Demon…?
That doesn’t sound good from an Earth perspective! I’m not worried about my body, but transcendents? Demons? Are you sure this is okay?
“Hmm? Why do you look displeased? A demon is also said to be a leader of mankind. Throughout history, those who have become demons have all been outstanding individuals, respected… no, worshiped even more than magicians. Iori might be able to reach that level.”
Ah, I see. So it’s not a bad thing in this world?
“So… how is that ‘reaching’ determined?”
“That’s where the magic stone comes in. It’s common knowledge that humans… though there are various races, humans do not have magic stones in their bodies. Yet all living creatures in the wild possess them.”
Eh? I have a bad feeling about this from the flow of the conversation…
“Among humans, who are supposed to lack them, those who harbor a magic stone in their body are the transcendents! That’s the existence called a ‘demon’!!”
Eh… He explained it excitedly and happily, but… Eh… A magic stone forms inside the body? That’s kind of unpleasant…?
“Hmm? Why do you look so displeased? The birth of a demon is a joyous occasion even for non-magicians.”
“Uh, I see. Got it! Let’s calm down?”
“Hmm. Do you understand? Well, it’s fine. I didn’t think you had so much magical power when I talked to you last night. It’s not something that happens often, so I forgot. I apologize.”
“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“Is that so?”
This isn’t exactly an exciting matter. Well, it seems to be a good thing, so there’s no need to worry too much.
“I’ve got a good understanding of the magical power discussion, thank you. Next, you said something a bit unreasonable today, right? Using magic that I can’t handle will cause injury, so don’t use it. But since it relies on sensation, teaching or learning it is basically impossible, right? So whether a magic can be used or not can’t be known until it’s actually used.”
“If it’s Iori, I thought you might notice. But Ignis was there. I couldn’t very well say that it might be surprisingly easy to use once you try it.”
“Well, I understand that. And when we talked last night, you said the reason you’re not teaching is because the village isn’t functioning, right? I hate to think it… but does that mean the only way to master magic is to achieve it on your own, risking an outburst?”
“That’s exactly right. That’s why I don’t want you two to use magic as long as you’re in this village. There’s not an endless supply of magic potions. Paradoxically, with as much magical power as Iori has, there’s a high chance you’re exceptional in ‘sensation
.’ You’re intelligent, and it’s about time you could challenge magic by age. However, it’s too dangerous to train alone in secret, and if you’re going to do it, I’d like to watch over you, but I can’t leave Ignis alone. If only one more person had survived…”
“So that’s how it is. I understand.”
Temuan looks frustrated. Did I remind him of something unpleasant… I’m sorry. It seems like I have no choice but to give up on challenging magic for now.
“Next, do you know how to make magic potions?”
“Of course. I’ll teach you later.”
Oh, this is one exciting thing that seems likely to come true.
“Thank you.”
I’ve made a promise!
Well, then.
I stretch a little to loosen up my body and straighten my posture to face Temuan again.
It’s an important discussion we couldn’t have yesterday.
“There’s one more thing I want to talk about.”
“Hmm. Is it finally time?”
It seems he was expecting this.
I take a deep breath and start the conversation.
