Magical Studies
The extraordinary atmosphere of the festival had settled down, and daily life returned to Legol.
The cleaning activities had made the town look neat and tidy, and the pigments had completely faded from the flying Jellyslimes. Or rather, it seemed they lost their color completely within about half a day. The colored Jellyslimes flying around until yesterday were probably just child’s pranks or play.
The tourists had vacated their lodgings, and the guild adventurers had left Legol to escort wagon convoys.
There were still many monsters outside the town, so extermination quests were being issued frequently to thin them out before the harvest season brought hellish conditions.
The busy season had resumed.
…That said, I only really gathered wild vegetables, soaked them to remove bitterness, and ate them. Moving around in the heat was exhausting. Of course, I did some extermination quests too, but just casually whenever I felt like it. Small fry don’t pay much anyway…
I had recently acquired a decent amount of dirty money, so I planned to devote myself to self-study for a while.
“Ah, um, hello. Thank you again for the other day. You really helped me out…”
“Don’t mention it. I just found someone I didn’t like and blasted them away.”
I was currently standing in front of a magic shop with the “Young Wand” girl.
Sally had mentioned that a magic shop branching out from the capital would be coming to town in spring, but it had only opened a few days ago.
The location was great for security, being close to the guard barracks on a busy street. While not crowded, it was a suitable location for a specialty shop dealing in high-value merchandise.
The one who had guided me here was a girl named Miserina. She was the mage I had rescued from some creeps in an alley before. Since then, we only exchanged greetings whenever we ran into each other at the guild.
Quiet and prone to stuttering, but according to Sally she was a skilled wind mage. As a way to repay her debt to me, she had agreed to be my guide this time.
“This is the Gilbert Magic Goods store. They sell consumables and catalysts for mages, but…just like in the capital, they also carry beginner materials and tools…albeit pricey, but high quality.”
“Oh, that’s great. Trying to buy that kind of stuff at the markets, you always end up with knockoffs.”
The shop’s exterior and interior exuded an uncommon cleanliness for Legol. Well, it had just opened, so that was natural. But it had an altogether different level of exclusivity compared to weapon or sundry goods shops. An atmosphere that made you feel out of place, like an department store salesfloor.
“Welcome…ah, the ‘Young Wand’.”
“Good day, Mr. Gilbert. It’s Miserina.”
“Ah yes, Miserina. Who would have thought our paths would cross again here in Legol…And who might this be?”
The middle-aged man behind the counter looked at me.
He had streaks of gray in his slicked-back black hair, giving off an accomplished air.
“This is the guild adventurer, Mr. Mongrel. He, um, helped me out before. Oh, and he also knows Ms. Sally…”
“Mongrel, at your service.”
“Oh, a guild adventurer, eh…But that’s a sword, isn’t it? Surely you’re not some kind of sword mage?”
“Nah, I’m a complete beginner, but I thought I’d try learning magic from the ground up. I heard this is the place to get quality beginner materials, so…”
“Ah, being spoken too politely by a guild swordsman makes me itch. Speak plainly with me.”
“…Got any good beginner materials, Mr. Gilbert?”
“Hmm.”
Gilbert scratched his chin.
“First, let me ask what kind of mage you aspire to be. Let me make this clear from the start – a mage’s innate aptitude is crucial. On top of that, it is a spiritual discipline requiring long, diligent study. From the looks of you, you must be 25 or 30…At that age, mastering it to a high level is essentially impossible, let alone making it a profession.”
“Ah, I’m not too bothered about that. If I can just manage to produce a bit of water magic, that’ll be enough for me.”
My goal was simply to be able to wash my hands and face whenever I wanted.
Or to be able to produce drinking water. Just that would make life considerably more convenient.
“I see, it would certainly be handy…However, even that modest level of magic may be unattainable for you. As I mentioned, aptitude plays a huge role. You could spend years trying fruitlessly. That’s just how it is in this world.”
“Eeeh…”
“I can sell you the materials, but they’re aimed at the wealthy and not cheap. And there’s no guarantee you’ll get anywhere, so if it doesn’t work out it’s a total loss…I could buy back the materials at that point, but…”
“…Does this kind of thing require a tutor or something?”
“Normally one would hire a private home tutor. However, these materials are designed for the commoner gentry, so all the necessary knowledge is contained in writing. If you have the drive, you can theoretically learn alone.”
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Hmm, I guess I’ll give it a try then. I do want to use water magic.
Not having to worry about hygiene outdoors would be so convenient. If it doesn’t work, I can just give up then.
“Seeing as it’s the ‘Young Wand’ making the introduction, I’ll cut you a bit of a discount. Let’s see, a beginner’s wand, mage stones, 10 catalyst packs, and the textbooks…that’s about what the total would be.”
“Pricey…but I’ll take it.”
“Oh, um, Mr. Mongrel, the discount…”
“Nah, it’d be rude to take advantage after you introduced me here.”
“…Haha, well when you put it that way, I don’t feel bad about it. Just this once, I’ll knock 300 zeni off in goodwill…For practice, getting the feel for it is crucial. Try doing it every night before bed. And if you do manage to get the hang of it, be sure to use our shop. We carry good quality wands too.”
“Got it, thanks. I’ll work hard so I can shop here.”
After shaking Gilbert’s hand, I left the magic shop.
Now, the best part about buying tools for a new hobby is opening them up for the first time.
After parting ways with Miserina, I returned straight to the inn and laid out the materials I had bought from the magic shop on the table.
“So this is the beginner’s wand…very Harry Potter-esque.”
The wand was short, like a baton. Apparently even skilled mages often used wands around this size.
Well, this was probably a pretty shoddy one though.
There were also small portions of some mysterious catalyst, but I had no clue about those.
More importantly, there were the instructional materials.
This set consisted of around 20 sheets of thin parchment crammed with small print providing all sorts of advice and tips about magic.
While more disorganized and harder to read compared to instructional or beginner’s guides from my previous world, I decided to start by thoroughly reading through and mastering this text first.
However, as a modern reincarnator who gained cheat abilities, magic was definitely the thing, right?
With the scientific knowledge I have, my vividness of imagination should already surpass the locals’…Maybe I’ll surprise myself by simply meditating a bit then giving the wand a wave and “Oh no, was that too much of a grand magic spell in a place without water?” or something like that.
…But then, if my imagination proves too vivid, I might end up flooding the inn which would be a disaster…
I don’t want to cause trouble for others with my dazzling power…Hmm, I guess I’ll just have to practice magic outside of town! It’s probably better if my abilities don’t become too well known.
Three days after starting my magic training:
“Oh, Mongrel senpai. Haven’t seen you around lately, it’s rare to find you at the guild.”
“Ah yeah. I’ve been absorbed in magic practice these past three days.”
“Magic, huh!? You said you were gonna try it but you actually started?”
I was drinking ale at the guild.
“Yeah. But I quit.”
“…Huh?”
“I might not have an aptitude for magic after all.”
“…Aren’t you just saying that ’cause you got bored of it?”
“…Could be.”
All that meditation didn’t get me anywhere…
What was that about visualizing a vortex under your heart? I don’t have an organ like that…
“…I don’t want you dropping my archery lessons like that.”
“…Fair enough, I’ll give it a bit more effort.”
“I’m worried now.”
That day, I recounted to Raina the magic training instructions I had simply overheard, and we drank together.
Come to think of it, Raina might actually have more aptitude for magic than me. She has good concentration at least…
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