———
I didn’t know my parents in my previous life.
At around the time I reached the age of discretion, I was in an institution. Even that institution was destroyed by crime-terror.
I alone had survived. I drifted around, and am picked up by a certain woman.
As an eccentric who lived deep in the mountains—in what could also be called one of the most secluded regions that people don’t travel to—she was an abnormally strong person.That I was able to have survived for even sixty years, is probably thanks to being trained by this woman, my shishou.
In other words, until shishou passed away, it could also be called a continued experience of living hell.
Until this very day, I haven’t even seen the faces of my parents. They are my parents, but whether it’s about my past parents or present parents, I’m not that discouraged by it.
All in all, my mind is of an over sixty year old ossan, and there’s also Erina-san, Noel and Dee here, so i’m not particularly lonely.
At any rate, at the present time, with the necessities of life all at my disposal, the only thing to do is to train the body as early as possible.
Half a year has past.
As usual and hopefully as always, by eluding maid-san, I perform the exercises that are part of my daily routine.I call it ‘exercise’ but it’s closer to calisthenics: like raising my arms and feet. Since if I were to go overboard with my infant body, it’s certain that fatal damage would result. Looking at it this way, I have a proper plan which I carrying out.
The designer was shishou.
“I wish I picked you up before you reached the age of discretion… If I had done that then you probably would had become a warrior that surpassed me…”
“Before becoming a warrior, I would’ve been killed by shishou, no doubt about it.”
“That’s, you know, ‘exploit them until they die’. Hey, I’ll think up of some proper adjustments for them.”
“Like I said, they would be dead!”
She gleefully told me about the plan which she had gone as far as attaching a name with no naming sense to it: [Hell Training from Birth]. I never thought that I would be the one doing it. The training content was both merciless and heavy, but it made sense so I revise it with my own set up to finish it off. It’s extremely tough, but being able to actually feel my growth with every passing day is pleasant.
The other day I appealed to them of my ability to crawl.
The instant Noel witnessed that, her ears and tail stood up, and she did a full powered dash to Erina-san. When I demonstrate it again in front of all of them, they are delighted and looked like they were going to jump up and down in joy. Usually Erina-san doesn’t drink alcohol, but she is in high spirits during dinner and appears to have gotten drunk. It seems that her doting parent level also continues to rise day after day.
One year since I was born.
My body is growing favourably. Even the daily exercises are now being changed to muscle training with push-ups, sit-ups, etc. It’ll soon be at the point where I want to train my stamina by jogging. My walking debut is also not far off.
“Over here, Sirius-sama. Please have a look at it today too, okay~”
Still, Noel’s frivolous manner is the same.
Even though she had been made to stop by Erina-san with a ‘using fire is dangerous’, she still comes to show me magic; perhaps there’s something fun about it? Although, I also eventually want to use magic, so coming to show me magic helps me out.
“I entreat. Decipher the way of fire, and please embody the emissary of the fire spirit. [Flame!].”
She shuts her eyes, and when she finishes saying the phrase required in order to emit the magic, a fireball appears. No matter how many times I see it, it’s mysterious. For example, what kind of fundamental truth is it using, or what’s it using as fuel?
“Fufu—, with this, onee-chan’s dignity is secure, right? Anything other than this doesn’t go well though.”
Just a minute onee-san, all kinds of things are shining through. You simply want to behave like an onee-san should? Only like an onee-san? From the viewpoint of someone with a mind of an ossan, it was something adorable: like a child trying to do something beyond their power with all their might.
Is it redundant to add that afterwards she was eventually discovered by Erina-san and was scolded?
The next day, after getting out of bed, I finish my strength training and tried to make an attempt at magic. If only there was also a textbook…but to begin with, I really can’t find any ‘books’ around. Setting aside whether paper is valuable or not for later, other than the fireball that Noel showed me, I had no information about magic. In the meantime, I tried out following the same steps as Noel, but……nothing happens. Is it my power of concentration that is insufficient, or some other factor?
After that, I did some trial and error for a while, but in the end nothing happened. It can’t be helped, maybe try and ask them once I become able to hold a conversation? It’d be unpleasant if I was told something like ‘you have no talent for it’ though.
After lunch, everyone was assembled in the living room.
Within the postprandial mellow atmosphere, Erina-san and Noel are knitting. Dee was preparing the tea. Sitting on top of the rug, and looking at the three of them, I executed that strategy.
“Erina-san, Sirius-sama is looking over here?”
“You’re right. Perhaps he’s interested in knitting?”
“Eri—”
“!?”
The knitting material dropped from Erina-san’s hands.
“……Sirius-sama. Once more. Once more please.”
“Erina—”
“Aa……Aa……”
Overcome with emotion, she was moved to tears!
“Sirius-sama! Me too, me too please! Noel! No-e-l!”
Your face is close.
It’d be amusing to play the fool and say ‘Dee’, but it seems like she’d seriously become depressed if I did, so let’s call out her name shall we?
“Noel—”
“Kya—! Sirius-sama, please call me ‘onee-chan’ next—!”
Taking advantage of the situation, what is this girl saying? I’ll ignore that request.
Turning around, Dee had also come closer, and is pointing at himself as if to say ‘what about me?’.
“Dee—”
“……yes”
As usual, there’s no change in his facial expression, but he has his eyes closed as if basking in the lingering sound. But my turn has not yet ended. Putting strength into my feet, I stand up. Heading towards Erina-san who is wiping away her tears, I slowly took one step forward.
“Si-Sirius-sama!? Might that be…”
“He’s walking! Sirius-sama is walking!”
Walking briskly all of a sudden would be eerie, so I advance while occasionally pretending to stumble. It’s was just a distance of five steps, but when I finally safely reached the end of Erina-san’s arms, which were spread out in wait, I was interposed between two people.
“You did it splendidly Sirius-sama. Erina is proud!”
“He’s a genius! This gentleman is without a doubt, a genius!”
The pair are boisterously dancing and I’m being jostled about. It hurts a little. Without appearing to stop them, Dee also spoke of a feast and disappeared to make dinner preparations. Maybe I went a little overboard.
On this day, there was a hard time of getting Erina-san to stop (like you would a baby) gulping down the wine.
The next day, I again extended my walking distance. Since I had the feeling that these people seem like they’d brush off any abnormal development with their ‘amendments of a doting parent’. It looks like there won’t be any issues with starting to jog in half a months time rather than after one month.
The problem is magic. As it’s something that didn’t exist in any form in my previous life, I have absolutely no idea how I should make a start on it. Although it’s only a few words, I’ve removed the embargo on language, so I’ll try and somehow get information out from Noel.
“Today I’ll show you different magic. Uum, if i’m not mistaken……it’s not dangerous if it’s this one, right?”
Noel had came today as well, but she was grasping a book in that hand of hers. Nice going Noel. I’ve been waiting for that. Although you probably planned to hide that you’re reading from a book, what you’re doing is obvious, so hurry up and show me that book.
I point at the book, and with all my might I try to get her to show me the book.
“Eh, do you have an interest in this? Hmm, please wait a bit.”
Presumably she went to get Erina-san’s permission. Previously she would have probably showed me without any concern for things like permission, but perhaps she has matured a little?
While I was being a little bit impressed by her growth, Noel had gotten permission and returned.
I wonder if it’s to read together, she places me on her soft lap, and the book that I had waited eagerly for, [Elementary Level Magic Guidebook], was opened. ‘I’ll read it for you faster than Noel’ is how I pretended to be clever, but I can’t read the writing can I? Reluctantly, I waited for the oral reading.
“Uuum, ‘magic is a original general principle. Even now it’s a phenomenon which hasn’t yet been elucidated, but it brings about blessings to all peoples: an omnipotent existence’……is what it says. I have no idea what it means.”
This girl…she responded with a smile on her whole face.
It might sound weird coming from someone like me who can’t even understand the letters, but you’re the one using that magic, so put some effort into understanding it, will you. Although she didn’t understand it, Noel continued to read the rest of it aloud. The author’s grammar is extremely tortuous, and I also couldn’t read the letters, so even though I could understand it, I had a hard time.
I think I’ll try—in my own way—to sum up what I understood.
Magic is a phenomenon that uses the maryouku overflowing throughout the world to occur.
Maryouku is something that isn’t visible to the eye, but exists everywhere; even us humans are living with magic inside of us. Consuming that maryouku within the body, and invoking a fireball like Noel did, is what common magic is.
It seems that drawing ‘magic squares’ and pouring one own’s maryouku into it to invoke magic is also possible. This is used in things called ‘magical tools’ such as those which light up the night, or start the fire for cooking. The drawing itself is an exceedingly delicate process, and perhaps because you have to invoke the magic via the magic squares, the resulting force is weak. Once you’ve drawn it you can utilise it repeatedly, as long as it hasn’t worn down, so it’s fixed into everyday items.
There are other magics. For example, there are also those who borrow the power of spirits to evoke [Spirit Magic].
Spirits……it seems like a word that people with chuunibyou would like. But the biggest obstacle is being liked by the spirits; it appears that spirit magic users are extremely rare. They’re existences that can’t even be felt without being able to see them, so a person can only wait for a spirit to approach them. The requirements to be liked by the spirits still haven’t been elucidated.
Putting aside the very enigmatic spirits, an aria is required for magic invocation. With the movement of the mouth and the chanting of the aria, the maryouku inside the body is gathered, and the magic is invoked. It seems that if there are specific keywords, then the magic will be invoked. As an example I’ll try and cite what Noel used: [Flame].
[Be aware of the general concept of ‘fire’, desire it such that you yourself can think up and bring fire into existence]……is what it says, but if you have the keywords that have been handed down, it will be invoked. For example there are researchers who work day and night for the sake of shortening the aria as much as possible. [Flame] is an elementary fire-attribute magic, and the exact same aria that Noel recited also appears in this book.
As you use magic, your maryouku decreases, and you feel a corresponding amount of fatigue. It starts with a lethargy that attacks your whole body, eventually you faint, and if you’re not careful, it seems that you can even lose your life.
The amount of maryouku inside a person’s body is determined at birth and appears to be why there’s an unbelievably large variation of maryouku amounts between people. It also seems that the amount grows, but it’s growth rate is extremely low. Growth only requires the repeated use of maryouku to its very limits and recovery, but that maryouku recovery is exceedingly slow. The example listed in the guidebook is that after one year, it’ll increase of the order of one times worth.
‘The more you use it the more it increases’ is like muscle training, but because of the inefficiencies, it’s probably better to do it in one’s spare time.
Or rather, if one’s own maryouku is insufficient, can’t they just depend on the external maryouku?
Maryouku is in the atmosphere, so if one were to use that, they should be able to become strong with ease, to use a massive amount of it. As I am thinking that, in the guidebook it’s written that such a thing is ‘meaningless’.
Apparently it’s because one’s own maryouku and the maryouku in the air are different in nature.
For example, if what humans were using was black coloured maryouku, then the maryouku throughout the atmosphere is white coloured maryouku. The forced conversion from white to black uses maryouku, so even if you gathered a massive amount of it, you’d have to subtract that conversion amount, and thus the magic would end up not having that much force. Ah, so that’s why ‘meaningless’ was written.
In the same way that one’s personal maryouku is important, so is the [Attribute].
This also seems to be decided at birth, and the attribute does not change in one’s lifetime. Noel used [Flame] so her natural aptitude is with fire.
The fire attribute excels in fire magic, the water attribute excels in water magic, and if the attribute is known, then the direction of the magic is also naturally decided.
Also, it’s not that you also can’t use other attributes, but among other things, its power would drop dramatically as a result.
Just as she had finished reading the part about attributes, Noel shut the book.
Perhaps it was because I was totally engrossed in listening, quite a bit of time has passed.
“Fu—, let’s stop around here for today shall we. I’m also tired from reading aloud.”
“Good work. I’ve already prepared some tea in advance, so please have a rest.”
“Wah! Erina-san, when did you…”
Looking back, Erina-san, who had given a soft smile, had brewed some black tea.
“Just now. That aside, you’re thirsty right? I’ll take charge of Sirius-sama.”
“Thank you.”
Being held in her arms, I am then transferred over to Erina-san’s lap.
The lap of a young Noel also feels good, but as expected, Erina-san is special. There’s an amazing sense of security. Erina-san picked up the book while affectionately patting my head.
“You were very studious weren’t you? It seems like if it’s Sirius-sama, he’ll unintentionally use magic before long.”
“Ahaha, that’s not going to happen. Even I had an immensely hard time with the elementary level, and to begin with, he can’t even read the letters, you know?”
“That’s true. However, I can’t help but think ‘if it’s Sirius-sama…’.”
“Weeell, even I can’t completely deny that. Even so, that’s several years too early.”
Like that, the pair drank their tea while laughing.
I see, if it’s me……eh? If they have great expectations of me, then I ought to live up to those expectations. First I have to start with becoming able to read the alphabet.
“Attribute huh. By the way, what might Sirius-sama’s attribute be?”
I also wondered about that.
I don’t particularly have a pickiness for a specific attribute, but I think that it seems like it would be convenient if it was fire or water.
“Let’s try and find out shall we? There’s a judgement tool in my room. ”
“It’s that isn’t it? Just a minute, I’ll go fetch it. ”
The attribute judgement tool that Noel brought is, a spherical crystal placed into the center of a small wrapping cloth, it’s appearance was of a simple construction. However, there is a complex pattern drawn on the wrapping cloth, so I guess this is the magic square written about in the book.
The basic four attributes: [Fire], [Water], [Wind] and [Earth] are drawn on the magic square, and apparently it’s arranged in such a way that when you place your hand on it, the crystal shines with the attribute colour of the person who touched it.
“Umm, pour maryouku into it, startup……there. Preparations complete.”
“Well Sirius-sama. Please put your hand over here.”
“Ai”
While getting a bit excited, I placed my hand on it.
The change is in an instant, the crystal casts a glaring light and I instantly closed my eyes. It was something that I was watching intently at point blank range, so it would’ve been dangerous if I was late in closing my eyes. Because I reflexively removed my hand from it, by the time I had opened my eyes, the light had vanished. It had disappeared before I could see what colour it was.
“Erina-sama, that was…”
“Yeah, an intense light. However……”
Are? The pair’s expressions and words are somewhat stiff. As there isn’t any indication that they’ll stop me, should I try it out once more?
This time, while protecting my eyes with the opposite hand, I check the crystal’s colour.
And now, the colour of the light emitted by the crystal is…
“As before, colourless……isn’t it?”
“No way……”
Are? Why are you two making such sad-looking expressions?
I thought it was a pretty intense light, but is this the ‘it’s hopeless pattern’? Something like, ‘you seriously have no talent’, is it that kind of punchline?
A bit bewildered, I was gently hugged closely by Erina-san, who had a face that seemed like it was about to cry at any time.
“God is……cruel. Sirius-sama. I will……I will protect you without fail.”
“Me too—.”
Why are you turning your compassionate eyes towards me? For heaven’s sake, please explain it to me. There’s no way that my wish would reach them, and the two of them showed more concern for me than usual.
But [Colourless]……is it?
I have a bad feeling about it.
