Temoan stood in front of a rock that was as tall as he was.
He opened a book and flipped through its pages, as if carefully considering which magic to use.
Before long, his hand stopped flipping the pages. I wonder what kind of magic he’s going to show us.
“I’ll meet Iori’s expectations.”
Huh? I’m not sure what he means by that.
Temoan held the magic book open in his left hand and a talisman activation tool in his right hand. He aimed his right hand at the rock.
The magic book and the talisman began to emit a faint glow. The glow gradually grew stronger and brighter.
Then, at that moment, a faint blue magical circle appeared in front of his outstretched right hand.
The development from there happened quickly.
Without making a sound, a flaming rock-like object, more like a fiery boulder than a basketball-sized fireball, was generated and…
…Boom!!!
…I thought it was going to hit the target, but it struck the rock with incredible speed, causing it to shatter into pieces.
The projectile was so fast that the sound of the explosion reached my ears almost immediately after I recognized that it had been launched.
The target rock was not just scorched on the surface. The impact point had a large indentation, cracks radiated in all directions from the center, and the upper part had collapsed.
While the rock didn’t burst into flames, fragments from the exploding fireball scattered around, scorching and smoldering the ground.
It was quite different from what I had expected. The fantasy fireball magic imagined by Earthlings was not about the fire itself being spherical but rather the entire entity.
However, upon seeing it in this context, I realized that in reality, it wouldn’t make much sense. Fire is a phenomenon, not a substance. Turning something without mass, like that, into a spherical shape and hitting something with it using magical power would likely not cause much damage.
It’s like throwing a soap bubble at a rock. What would happen?
If the goal is to burn something, it would require some clever thinking. Accidents in chemical factories where people get burnt usually happen because something flammable adheres to a person’s body or clothing, such as powder or liquid, and it can’t be easily shaken off, so it continues to adhere. So, if you were to reproduce it with magic or sorcery, it would be best to coat a flammable liquid with flames and then strike it.
“Woahhhhh!”
Ignis cheered, pulling me back from my deep thoughts. I tend to get lost in my thoughts when I’m engrossed in something interesting. I should probably work on fixing that bad habit, considering my safety in the future. Well, if the need arises, Maia will give me a warning, so I should be fine.
“Haha, Ignis seems satisfied,” Temoan said, turning to me.
“Huh? Was Iori disappointed? I used the fireball because it came up in the conversation.”
Oops, I must have given the wrong impression due to my unexpected reaction.
“No, no, it exceeded my expectations! It was amazing!”
Indeed, it exceeded both my expectations and my hopes. To think that something like that could be handled by anyone. It seems that magicians who can use magic are something else entirely.
I relayed that to him.
“But this is quite a threat. Can anyone, including me or Ignis, use it?”
“That’s right. It can be used, but don’t worry too much. The possession of such potentially dangerous items is heavily regulated by the Empire’s laws. Well, there are some lawbreakers who possess them through illegal means, but they’re not common.”
He said it casually… but for someone from Earth in the 32nd century, the existence of illegal individuals is quite surprising. In the world managed by HCS, which has almost achieved perfect peace, committing a crime would be instantly exposed, not just a figure of speech.
Nevertheless, I have to accept it as normal here, as long as there’s no major problem.
“Now, I’ll show you a few more things,” Temoan said.
Saying that, Temoan proceeded to demonstrate several more magic spells.
“This should be enough. Next, I’ll let you both experience it,” he said.
“Really? Can we? Yay!!!”
Ignis’s eyes sparkled with excitement. He’s such an adorable big brother! But I also had a question.
“Is it okay? You mentioned it’s regulated.”
“It’s about possession.”
Temoan smiled slyly. He seemed up to something.
“It’s not regulated for use. There are various reasons for that.”
It seems like… some kind of dirty adult secret. I’m getting that vibe!
But oh well, I want to try it too.
So, Ignis and I took turns experiencing it, with Temoan assisting Ignis by supporting the hand holding the talisman.
Boom!
Amazing… So this is magic. After both Ignis and I had cast the fireball, the large rock that had been the target was completely shattered into pieces.
“But there’s no recoil or anything?” I asked.
While I could feel the heat when the fireball was generated and the wind when it was launched, there was no significant recoil, unlike firearms, where you would feel a strong kickback.
It’s not like in the popular anime on Earth where your body gets pushed back like in the Kamehameha Wave. It’s a bit disappointing from my teenage-boy perspective.
“Hmm? There’s indeed no recoil, but did you not feel anything at all?”
“Iori, you mentioned that you can accurately sense your mana levels, right? How many more times can you use the fireball?”
“I think I can use it about five more times!”
Ignis answered enthusiastically without being asked.
Five more times, huh…
“Huh? Oh, I see. Ignis is quite talented. I look forward to his future.”
Hehe, Ignis was delighted to be praised.
But…
“I don’t know how to put it, but I feel like this is unusual. I have no intention of hiding it, so I’ll answer honestly… I think I can use it over ten thousand times, even assuming my mana never recovers…”
I had confessed that I could accurately sense my mana levels last night, and now, I was feeling awkward and gave an ambiguous answer. I had significantly underestimated my capabilities. To be honest, I had used it 176,481 times, but in reality, my mana consumption was so negligible that it was practically increasing rather than depleting.
“What?! Over ten thousand? That’s incredible! How much exactly!?”
Wait, wait, Ignis, give me a moment. Let me pat your head and distract you a bit.
“It’s foolish… It’s not that much. However, it’s not an exaggeration.”
From Temoan’s demeanor, it seemed that I was indeed quite unusual. Sorry, it’s not an exaggeration; it’s the opposite.
Apologizing with a wry smile, I nodded.
“Sorry, I realized there was something I hadn’t told you last night. I’ll explain it later.”
Huh, what’s that? Is having too much mana a problem after all?
“Don’t look so worried. Having a lot of mana is not an issue, as I
mentioned. So you can relax on that front.”
That’s a relief.
“Now, let’s get back on track. What you both used just now was magic. Regardless of the outcome of the events it causes, I want to know if you felt any danger in your own bodies or experienced any abnormalities?”
“No, not really.”
“I just felt a little tired!”
“Yes, and it was quite easy, wasn’t it? It’s no different from using magical tools. You just need to supply mana. There’s nothing difficult about it, and that’s the advantage of magic.”
I see. Is this a lesson to convey the difficulty of magic?
“Now, let’s move on to the real magic. I’ll explain it, so listen carefully. Magic is extremely difficult for humans to handle. I’ve already explained that, right? Why is it so difficult? Well, magic is like…”
I listened carefully, as Temoan seemed serious. His seriousness made me hold my breath. He was creating some suspense.
“Magic is like… a fart. Its difficulty is akin to that of a fart.”
Huh?
Oh, I see. A fart?
Hmm, I get it!
Apparently, magic is like a fart.
I started praying that this wasn’t a joke.
