Chapter 4: The Beginning Of Magic (1) |
Such concentration was necessary for this task.
If even one image was incorrect, everything would dissolve into nothingness.
Therefore, he tried hard to avoid even the smallest stray thoughts.
‘I can push it a bit further. Just a little more.’
He was truly pushing his mana road to its limit.
He drew in mana as quickly as he could manage, as much as possible.
Ray’s mana road was incomparable to other magicians’ in terms of size.
With such a massive mana road, it was evident that it would attract the mana floating in the air.
However, Ray was not content.
The naturally divided paths found their way down to each tiny capillary.
By now, his body was drenched as if it had been rained upon.
Yet, a smile was slowly spreading across his face.
After about an hour,
Ray opened his closed eyes.
“Finally, it’s done! I thought my body was going to explode.”
Indeed, it could have exploded.
If he had even slightly mismanaged his power.
“Did the mana road form correctly?”
Ray attempted to create fire in the air as a test.
Fwoosh-
“Wow! It really works, doesn’t it? This is like magic… And… as expected, there’s no circle?”
Originally, the ‘circle’ was the cluster of mana inside a magician’s body, but magic could be manifested even without it.
However, other magicians did not have a unique mana road like Ray’s, so they could not draw in the necessary mana for magic.
That’s why they had to create a ring of mana within their bodies.
In Ray’s case, he could draw in enough mana necessary for the manifestation of magic, and he could use magic naturally without having to gather it together.
The quantity and quality of mana were clearly different from the current magicians.
Just as stagnant water decays, stagnant mana was incomparable to flowing mana.
His mana could produce excellent results with a small amount, and unlike other magicians, there was no risk of depletion even if he used up all the mana in his body.
He drew in more mana from the atmosphere.
This meant there were no limitations of a circle.
In other words, if he understood the principle, he could use magic regardless of whether it was a 1st circle or a 5th circle.
“Cancel.”
The fire that had appeared in the air vanished without a trace at his command.
“This is quite fun. Fire.”
Fwoosh-
“Cancel.”
Whoosh-
He couldn’t use powerful magic yet, but even simple magic was quite enjoyable.
And naturally, a desire to learn more sprouted within him.
It seemed like he would enjoy visiting the library even more in the future.
“Is Ray in the library again?”
Saein poured tea into Eil’s cup and asked.
Eil took the cup and sipped the tea.
“Yes. He usually goes there, so he’s probably there.”
At his words, Saein gently placed her hand on her cheek.
“Is it okay to leave our child alone like this? He’s still three years old…”
“He’s clever just like me. It’ll be fine. Hahaha.”
“…So, you’re saying I’m stupid?”
“No… That’s not what I meant…”
“Hmph. Sorry for being stupid.”
“Ah, no, that’s not what I’m saying.”
“I’m going to see Ray. You just have your tea there.”
Saein opened the door to the study.
“Our Ray, are you here?”
Immediately, an answer came.
“Yes.”
“Oh, I didn’t even know you were here.”
She felt guilty as she spoke.
‘It’s strange how mature he is, he’s still three years old… We haven’t played with him much.’
Her sense of responsibility as a mother grew.
She even thought that maybe he had no choice but to confine himself to the study because no one played with him.
So, she decided to play with Ray for the whole day today.
Saein said with a bright smile.
“Our son, do you want to play with mommy today?”
At those words, Ray’s eyes sparkled.
“Play?”
‘Magic? What magic should I learn? What else is there?’
His expression brightened at the thought of how he could use mana to create different phenomena.
If his mother had taught him that as both play and education, he would surely have learned it as his duty as a son.
But she interpreted Ray’s bright eyes differently.
‘He must have been wanting to play so badly to look that happy… I should play with him more often.’
Her maternal love was fully displayed.
She decided to make that day the best day ever.
“Yes! Shall we have fun playing, mommy?”
“Yes! I’d love to!”
They were both dreaming different dreams.
“…Mommy.”
“Yes?”
Saein stopped at Ray’s call.
“There are no books here.”
“Yes. You don’t have to read books today.”
“Why!”
“Just play as much as you want today.”
While it must have been a gesture of consideration for Ray, to him, it couldn’t have been more disappointing.
He had finally managed to construct his mana road faster than he thought and was able to use magic.
But playing! How could that have made any sense!
Naturally, a sound of refusal flowed from his mouth.
“Mom, I think I need to study more. If you know one, you should aim to know two.”
These words were unbelievable to come from the mouth of a child who had just turned three.
But to Saein, who believed that her son was a once-in-a-lifetime genius and the cutest being in the world, it wasn’t difficult to accept.
Rather, she smiled and gently stroked Ray’s head.
“Where did you learn to say that? Oh, you’re so precious!”
“Rather, it just made Mom happy.”
Mom was thrilled by her son’s genius.
She was so excited that she seemed willing to do anything she could to play with him.
So, Ray’s mouth shut on its own.
“Our son, haven’t you ever been outside? Shall we go out with Mom today?”
Anyway, she gave up magic for that day.
Since she had hardly played with her parents for three years, she thought she could take a break that day.
After all, she hadn’t been outside since she was reincarnated in this world.
The thought of wanting to know what this world was like played a significant part in that day’s play.
“Yeah. Let’s go out.”
“Hohoho. Once you see how wonderful it is outside, you’ll want to go out every day.”
Saein finished speaking and opened the front door.
Pleasant sunlight streamed in through the gap in the door.
He was awestruck by the moderately dazzling sight.
“Wow…”
The door swung wide open.
A gentle breeze rustled through his sparse hair.
Before him, a scenery he had never imagined unfolded.
Unknown grass, stone-made stairs, floating clouds.
The faint noise of a distant village.
The world, similar to Earth but distinctly different, unfolded the moment he opened the front door.
Chills ran down his back continuously. It was by far the most incredible thing he had ever seen.
Three years had passed since he last left her home.
One might wonder how he hadn’t gone outside, but he had been so engrossed in studying and sensing mana that he hadn’t thought about venturing out.
Now, he regretted not going outside sooner.
Hadn’t he essentially confined himself in a cage?
They say you can truly taste the air when you are free.
Indeed, that was true.
Saein spoke to Ray, who was standing quietly with his mouth agape.
“Go outside. You can run and play as much as you want.”
Ray looked up at Saein.
His usually large eyes grew even wider in this surprising situation.
Her son had never shown surprise before.
He had always maintained a similar demeanor, but the moment he stepped outside, everything changed.
Now, he resembled an ordinary child.
“You’re so cute! You must be the cutest in the world!”
Saein couldn’t help but hug Ray.
Unlike usual, he didn’t try to push her away.
All he could think about was what lay behind that mountain and what scenery unfolded beneath that stone bridge.
Ray looked up at the sky and smiled brightly.
‘I’m really glad I was reborn.’
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for taking me outside.”
“…”
Saein was at a loss for words at Ray’s comment.
Sometimes, her son seemed more mature than she was, while at other times, he exuded the aura of someone who had experienced much. Yet, there were moments when he was utterly innocent.
He was barely over three years old.
It was indeed peculiar that he could project such a range of atmospheres.
Nevertheless, she chose to smile quietly instead of questioning Ray.
“See. You’ll want to go out every day, won’t you?”
At her words, filled with laughter, Ray chuckled as if he was amused.
“I suppose I’ll have to agree.”
This place was enchanting enough to make her forget the memories of her past life.
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