Fair Warning: This Chapter is a bit of an Info Dump on Magic. Everything but the part about your mana pool being decided by your body not being harmed as a child and your gate's efficiency being influenced by your mindset is Canon to Re: Zero. I also credit two YouTubers and their videos for giving me this rundown on Magic at the end of this chapter.
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Kiyotaka arrived at Roswaal's office as he knocked on the door.
Roswaal: [Come in.]
Kiyotaka stepped into the room as Roswaal smiled.
Roswaal: [Until your gate is healed, it's not a good idea to use magic or spirit Arts. Due to this, I'll give you an alternative way to learn.]
Roswaal patted his hand on a stack of books.
Roswaal: [Find Beatrice and read these in the hidden library. That way you'll have no distractions and you can ask her questions.]
Kiyotaka: (Aren't you supposed to be the one I'm asking questions to?)
Roswaal: [I'd love to teach you directly immediately, but I'm afraid I'm faaar too busy.]
Kiyotaka bowed.
Kiyotaka: [Thank you for these books.]
Kiyotaka grabbed the bottom book, lifting it as he opened the door and walked out. He closed the door and opened it again. Instead of Roswal's office, there was a great library. Betty was sitting on a stool, reading a book.
Betty: [Your ability to find the right door every time is aggravating, I suppose.]
Kiyotaka sat down, placing the books to the side and taking the one on top of the pile and began reading it.
Betty: [So that is why Roswaal needed all those books.]
Kiyotaka: [I'll do my best not to bother you.]
He said this without taking his eyes off the book he was reading.
Betty: [Very well. I can allow this, I suppose.]
Kiyotaka focused completely on the book.
Basic Concepts Of Magic- By The『----- -- -----』-------
Kiyotaka: (The author's name is redacted, huh?)
Kiyotaka sighed, reading the book.
Magic is possible because of Od Laguna, which is the source of the world's Mana, Divine Protections, Memories and Ods. Not much is known about『Od Laguna』, and it is not known whether it is conscious or an existence that gives Mana and Divine Protections on whim.
Kiyotaka: (『Od Laguna』... Could it be that The『Witch Of Envy』somehow gained access to its power and used that to drag my soul and body into this world? Or maybe just my soul, and she used her own powers to drag my body?)
Kiyotaka shook off the thought as it was a mere passing thought, as he continued reading the book.
The Od
Your Od is the essence of your spiritual being and the part of your body that stores mana. When you are young, your Od grows in periods of time when your body is undergoing growth. If you train your body, your Od will grow more efficiently, but there is a delicate balance. Excessive training or damage to the body will instead cause the Od to shrink and be able to store less Mana. Your Od's efficiency is dictated by the user's mindset. The more logical a person is, the more efficient their mana use is.
Kiyotaka: (So that's how it works.)
There is a limit to the amount of Mana your Od can store. Getting close to this amount is very dangerous. Excessive Mana can cause weakness in the body and can eventually lead to death. If the condition becomes severe, it will become necessary for another party to extract a person's mana.
Kiyotaka: (Wait, but I don't have much mana. Is my limit low as well? How dangerous could that be for me?)
Fortunately, this is usually only an issue for people with a large amount of mana. Anyone with lower levels of Mana will be subconsciously using it to strengthen their body slightly. It's a natural instinct all people have. The amount of mana used in this is very low, but enough to prevent a normal person from experiencing Mana Sickness.
Kiyotaka: (I am definitely not doing that right now. It's not an instinct for me since I'm not from this world.)
Kiyotaka visualised it as he felt mana flowing from his Od into his veins, travelling to his heart and then back out through his veins again and into his organs and muscles and brain.
Kiyotaka: (I feel better than before. It's easier to breathe, my thoughts are slightly clearer, and my muscles feel even lighter than before, but my Mana capacity is so low, the difference isn't even significant. Only someone like me could tell the difference. But it's good I read about this, or I'd also suffer from Mana Sickness despite my low Mana pool. That would be quite embarrassing.)
He went to the next paragraph.
Mana
The manipulation of mana is the ability to manipulate reality to your desires. Depending on your proficiency and amount of mana you have, you can manipulate reality more and more, but even this has limits, as Mana is still bound to the rules of the world. The way you manipulate mana is also limited to your affinity.
Kiyotaka: (Bound to the rules of the world...)
Incantations
In incantations, the prefix used will determine the level of magic a person is using.
No Prefix (Level 1)- Basic Magic even amateurs can use.
El (Level 2)- More advanced Magic requiring specialised training in that affinity. This level is required for casting multiple projectiles.
Ul (Level 3)- Advanced Magic requiring a higher level of dedication in learning. This level is required for casting large projectiles.
Al (Level 4)- Peak of Magic for any spell. Those who use Magic must be extraordinarily lucky to even be able to attempt to learn these spells, and reliable use requires years of training or equivalent talent. This level is required for casting massive projectiles.
-- (----- -)- - ----- -- ----- ---- -- ---- ------- ---- --. -------, -- ----- -- ------ ---- ----- ---- --- --- ---- -- ---- - ----- -- ---- ---------.
Kiyotaka: (More retracted information. It seems there's an additional level that's not privy to novices, but what information is there is very useful.)
The Intensity of the magic and the mana required to perform these spells increase with each level. It is highly unrecommended to use magic above your skill level, as it can damage your gate. If you break your gate, it can be fatal. Even if you survive, you will be unable to expel mana from your body and from then on will have to rely on another person to syphon your mana for the rest of your life. The result of neglecting this will result in death.
Kiyotaka sweated.
Kiyotaka: (And I managed to crack my gate.)
Kiyotaka sighed.
Affinities
There are six affinities of magic, but it is not guaranteed that a person will even have one affinity, meaning a person can be rejected by all six affinities. In that case, the person would have no choice but to either become a spirit arts user or form a contract with a spirit. Another alternative for this is using your Od. You can cast a spell by shaving away at your lifespan. It should not be used unless absolutely necessary.
Kiyotaka: (That's good to know.)
The six affinities of magic are;
Fire- A type of Magic that allows the user to control the temperature. The incantation for Fire Magic is Goa, and the incantation for Ice Magic is Huma.
Water- The magic of Life and healing. Those with an affinity to healing magic can heal injuries, and those with a good enough affinity can even reattach limbs. Healing magic, however, is not accessible to those with an indifference to the lives of others. Water magic can be used offensively through the incantation Shiha, or the user can create water in its Ice state using the incantation Huma.
Wind- The Magic of the wind that can be used via the incantation Fura.
Earth- The magic of the living things inside the Earth is cast using the incantation Dona.
Yin- Is a type of magic that can be used to interfere with an opponent's abilities and weaken them. It can also be used offensively if the user is skilled enough. The incantations are various for this affinity.
Yang- It can be used to increase the abilities of the user or allies, or can be used offensively via the incantation Jiwald.
Kiyotaka sighed.
Kiyotaka: (I need that first one.)
Affinities can also be combined to form new spells, but that is not basic magic knowledge and so will not be covered in this edition.
Kiyotaka: (Multiple affinities... Not in the edition, huh? That's fair.)
Performing Magic
Step 1: Prepare the required mana
Step 2: Visualise the spell in your head.
Step 3: Ready your gate
Step 4: Say the Incantation
Kiyotaka: (Puck told me something similar.)
Rankings and Titles
In Lugunica, mages that achieve the pinnacle of their respective affinity are rewarded with an appropriate title.
Fire: Red
Water: Blue
Earth: Yellow
Wind: Green
Yin: Black
Yang: White
Kiyotaka: (I wonder which ones Roswaal has titles for.)
Divine Protections
Divine protections are not magic but something that is gifted by『Od Laguna』to lucky individuals. Each divine protection has a certain unique effect. Some can only be gifted to one person at a time, while others can be gifted to multiple people. It is possible to be born with multiple Divine protections, but this is an exceedingly rare thing. Divine Protections can't typically be gained or lost.
Kiyotaka finished the book, putting it to the side as he saw the other books were about Earth, Fire and Yang Magic.
Kiyotaka: (Well, time to dive into these then.)
Betty: [You've already finished that one? It's only been 10 minutes in fact.]
Kiyotaka: [I'm a fast reader.]
Betty sighed.
Betty: [Don't come asking Betty for help if you fail to remember the information from the book, I suppose.]
Kiyotaka sighed as he opened the book to Earth Magic.
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Kiyotaka knocked on the door to Roswal's office.
Roswaal: [Come in.]
Kiyotaka stepped into Roswaal's office as Ram was standing beside Roswaal.
Ram: [Ayanotaka?]
Roswaal: [Oh? What are you doing back here Kiyotaka-Kuuun?]
Kiyotaka: [I've finished reading.]
Ram: [Already?]
Roswaal: [Oh? What a quick read. 4 books in only an hour?]
Kiyotaka: [I've always been a quick reader.]
Roswaal: [Then, do you mind if I test your knowledge?]
Kiyotaka: [Very well.]
Roswaal began quizzing Kiyotaka as Kiyotaka answered the questions according to the book perfectly.
Ram: [That's... incredible.]
Roswaal: [Oh my. Such excellent absorption of the knowledge. This was meant to take you a week to learn. Well, I suppose you can do as you like for the rest of the day.]
Kiyotaka: [We can't fast-track my training?]
Roswaal: [Unfortunately, we'll have to keep to the schedule of your training. After all, we can't have you using mana with a cracked gate.]
Kiyotaka nodded.
Kiyotaka: (Looks like he's not willing to give me access to the other books in the library. Well, I can understand why.)
Kiyotaka: [So I can't even use Spiritual Arts while I wait to have my gate healed?]
Roswaal: [Well, of course not. Spiritual Arts also involves your gate, so the mana rushing in could damage your gate.]
Kiyotaka nodded.
Kiyotaka: [I guess I'll return to my duties then.]
Ram: [Ayanotaka. Rem and I have handled most of the work around the mansion already. How about you relax today?
Kiyotaka: [Relax huh? Well, alright.]
Kiyotaka walked into the yard and lay on top of the grass.
Kiyotaka: (The sun feels nice on my skin.)
Then a shadow was cast over him as Emilia looked down at him, her hair dangling towards his face.
Emilia: [What are you doing, Kiyotaka?]
Kiyotaka: [Relaxing.]
Emilia smiled.
Emilia: [Mind if I join you?]
Kiyotaka: [That's fine.]
Emilia lay down next to him as Kiyotaka closed his eyes, deciding to take a nap.
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Kiyotaka woke up to see Emilia sleeping next to him, her face inches from his. He slowly tried to roll away, but she began hugging him, as she began sleep-talking.
Emilia: [Where are you going, Puck?]
Kiyotaka sighed.
Kiyotaka: (Well, I guess this is fine. Best course of action is to go back to sleep and pretend I never woke up.)
Kiyotaka looked at Emilia's sleeping face.
Kiyotaka: (Her beauty is really magical.)
He closed his eyes.
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Kiyotaka opened his eyes to see Ram staring at him.
Ram: [I knew you were a womaniser, Ayanotaka.]
Kiyotaka could still feel Emilia's arm wrapped around him.
Kiyotaka: [It's not like I intended for this to happen.]
Ram: [Hm.]
She turned around, not letting him defend himself, as Kiyotaka sighed.
Kiyotaka: [Emilia.]
Emilia: [...]
Kiyotaka: [Emilia. Wake up.]
Emilia slowly opened her eyes, rubbing them as she noticed how close she was she jumped up to her feet with a redness in her cheeks.
Emilia: [What's going on?]
Kiyotaka: [Well, you hugged me in your sleep. For some reason, you thought I was Puck.]
Emilia blushed.
Emilia: [I'm reaaally sorry, okay?]
Kiyotaka shook his head.
Kiyotaka: [It's alright. I don't mind.]
Kiyotaka got up, dusting the grass off his clothes.
Kiyotaka: [How have you been going with your studying for the Royal Selection?]
Emilia: [... oh no! I fell asleep and... I completely forgot to study today.]
Kiyotaka: [Calm down. Let me help you.]
Emilia: [Eh? Are you sure? This is supposed to be a day for you to relax.]
Kiyotaka: [Relaxing is nice, but too much will make me complacent. Let's go.]
Emilia: [Well... alright. Thank you, Kiyotaka.]
They walked back into the mansion.
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Part:
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