Chapter 44: Magic Domain |
"Although my knowledge is mostly acquired from books, please ask away, my Lady. I will answer where I can," Vaan calmly gestured.
Linetta von Delarosa nodded.
Shortly after, she took a few moments to gather her thoughts before she began, "Actually, it's fine even if you don't have an answer."
"It's like this; witches gather mana and condense them to form a ring of mana, which we call a Magic Circle. Thus, an Apprentice Witch officially becomes a True Witch by forming the first Magic Circle. This is rather simple to do."
"However, I heard it becomes much more difficult to form the second Magic Circle after the first one. Why is this the case? Also, why must witches continue to condense their first Magic Circle after forming it? Why can't they start forming their second Magic Circle right after the first?"
"My Lady, you didn't try to form the second Magic Circle, did you?" Vaan asked with surprise.
"Of course not!" Linetta replied with a shake of her head.
"Although my teachers didn't tell me, there must be an established reason for it. I might be talented, but I'm not talented to the point that I can steer away from the established path in witch training. I wouldn't want to make a mistake just because I thought I found a more efficient method."
"It's good that you didn't make an attempt, my Lady. It would have been disastrous," Vaan stated.
Vaan began to explain.
"This is why witches can naturally recover mana over time even if they are not actively gathering mana to recover from their mana-deficient state. As I mentioned, Magic Circles are like mana magnets with their own sphere of influence."
"Thus, if you try to create a second Magic Circle around the heart, they would either repel or devour each other. That's why you must condense your first Magic Circle until saturation. Otherwise, you run the risk of collapsing your first Magic Circle and returning to square one in witch cultivation, my Lady."
Vaan's simple explanation easily dispersed the doubts in Linetta's heart; everything made sense to her.
But, at the same time, the truth shocked her.
Thankfully, she didn't try to be a smartass and attempt the formation of her second Magic Circle before the condensation of her first Magic Circle could reach saturation.
"No wonder my teacher said it's dangerous business to advance to the next rank. If the Magic Circle collapse, a witch's cultivation getting crippled would be considered light," Linetta uttered with dread.
She felt goosebumps just thinking about the heavier consequences.
Vaan nodded.
"The collapse of a witch's Magic Circle would make the compressed mana run wild, resulting in severe injuries, death, or even a berserk transformation," Vaan stated.
"That's why it is also essential for witches to train their state of mind. Higher-level witches have greater risks of their mana going berserk if they don't keep their emotions in check."
"Isn't my Magic Circle at a high risk of collapsing since my mana is low right now?" Linetta suddenly asked with shock.
"Pfft!" Vaan quickly covered his laughter.
"Hm?" Linetta furrowed her brows at Vaan's reaction and asked solemnly, "Are you making fun of me, Vaan?"
"Not at all, my Lady," Vaan denied with a shake of his head. Then, he smiled and said, "It's just that I think you can be pretty cute sometimes, my Lady."
"Do you build a warehouse to store things in it, or do you build it to tear it back down?" Vaan quizzed her with an amused smile.
After Linetta heard Vaan's question, she immediately blushed with embarrassment. She had asked a stupid question without thinking again.
It was unlike her to be like this. However, this had only been happening when she interacted with Vaan.
"I've made a fool of myself, Vaan. I am ashamed," Linetta said wryly.
"Don't be, my Lady," Vaan said with a consoling smile.
"It might turn out to be a good thing that you brought up this topic, my Lady. Initially, I wasn't going to talk about this since it might be too early for you. But I changed my mind; you have the right to know. After all, this knowledge will be useful to you."
"Oh? What might it be?" Linetta inquired with interest.
"As I previously mentioned, Magic Circles are mana magnets with their own sphere of influence called Magic Domain. Nevertheless, in essence, a Magic Domain is a subspace," Vaan explained.
"This is where all the mana for your magic is stored. However, mana isn't the only thing you can store in your Magic Domain. Although you have yet to use it yourself, My Lady should be aware of this, right?"
Linetta nodded.
She was aware that Senior Witches and above had independent subspaces to store their items.
However, she only knew it had something to do with Spatial Magic. She didn't expect it was directly linked to the witches' Magic Circles.
"I understand now," Linetta's eyes flickered with understanding.
To put stuff in her Magic Domain, she needed to use Spatial Magic to connect it to the outside world.
That is how she can put items into her Magic Domain without punching a hole in her chest and exposing the Magic Circle around her heart.
"No wonder you said this is useful to me. After I complete my Earth Armament, I will need a place to hold it for the convenience of not needing to carry it. And this place is my Magic Domain, which I require Spatial Magic to access," Linetta spoke.
"Yes, my Lady," Vaan nodded with a smile.
But then, he shortly warned her, "However, this method of storage is not without its risks. If you lack even a bit of control in Spatial Magic and miss the connection to your Magic Domain, you will end up putting a hole in your own body."
"Right," Linetta nodded, fully aware of the risk involved with Spatial Magic.
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