Chapter 18: Magic Control
“Running through the entire body of a Frame Gear is something like blood called Ether Liquid, which delivers magic power. Normally, this transmits the pilot’s magic to each drive system, allowing the Frame Gear to move. However, if magic power exceeding the output strength is flowed in all at once, an overload occurs, and the entire system is forcibly shut down. This is a system designed to prevent [Destruction], and…”
“I don’t really understand the details, but I get that it’s my fault.”
My first Frame Gear practice ended in frustration as my machine suddenly stopped moving. I had Lara explain it to me again, but it seems it really is my fault.
“Or rather, if you ride normally, an overload shouldn’t happen… Nero, isn’t your magic capacity just outrageously high?”
“Nn—… It’s true that Master called me a ‘Magic Idiot’…”
“Magic Idiot…”
Lara directed a gaze at me that looked like she was looking at something unbelievable or exasperating.
“Actually, isn’t the Lightning frame obviously a mistake in choice? If you chose a Mystic frame, wouldn’t you be able to utilize that magic power more?”
Sherry directed a gaze at me that said she didn’t understand my reasoning.
“Not to brag, but I can only use elementary magic, and I’m bad at adjusting the amount of magic I use. Using magic while controlling the machine is impossible. If I mess up, I might self-destruct.”
“Self-destruct… Ah, indeed, if you cannot control the magic you pour in, there is a possibility of it backfiring right at the source…”
Lirisha directed a gaze at me that said she was convinced.
“Ultimately, because you are constantly pouring in magic at full throttle, the machine can’t withstand it, right? As I thought, you have no choice but to learn magic control, do you?”
When Carrol concluded with that, everyone nodded in agreement as if to say, ‘That’s right.’ I know that myself, you know!
“Nero, taking the ‘Magic Control’ class is mandatory for you.”
“Agreed. Otherwise, you won’t be able to move it properly…”
“If it’s a long-range sniping machine, you might manage without moving much, you know?”
“That would require even more precise magic control, would it not? Your vast magic would be a treasure left to rot.”
You guys…! Everyone just saying whatever they want…! I crawled into my bed in the dormitory, feeling hazy as I recalled today’s events before sleeping. But just as everyone says, if I don’t learn magic manipulation and acquire control over my magic amount, it won’t even be a proper fight. I have to do something about it before the [Star Duel] in a month… In the worst case, it might end up being a fight with just the Armed Gear. Even then, it’s not like I can’t fight, but my goal is to become a [Trooper] and participate in the [Mecha Great War: Ragnarok]. If I can’t handle a Frame Gear, there’s nothing I can do. I have no choice. I’ll master magic control!
“Alriiight! I’ll do it! I’m gonna do it—!”
“You are noisy!”
Don! I was kicked up from the bottom bunk by Lirisha. Whoops.
“Nugu… gu, gu…”
I was controlling my magic to somehow shrink the fire lit on the tip of my raised index finger. A flame like a torch is coming out of my fingertip, then suddenly poof, the fire goes out. Just as I think that, bo, it lights up again as if remembering to do so. It’s been repeating like this for a while. According to the teacher in the ‘Magic Control’ class, the magic I release is inconsistent. Sometimes big, sometimes small. First, as the very first step, I have to do something about that. If I were just defeating enemies as an adventurer, blasting it at full power wouldn’t be much of a problem, but to pilot a Frame Gear, I have to grasp the knack of this magic control. I was taught that the ideal control is to light a small fire like a magic lighter from your finger and sustain it, so I’ve been trying that for a while now, but…
“It’s no good—!”
Bofun, a large clump of flame burst out from my fingertip, and I fell over on the spot. This is the rooftop of the third school building. The sky I look up at is clear blue without a cloud. The academy rooftop is open to students, and at lunchtime, it was bustling with students eating their bento boxes. Right now, I can only see a few students here and there.
“I wonder what it is… It feels like I can’t get a grip on it… Like grabbing an eel and having it slip away nurun? No, more like trying to grab a taro root with chopsticks and having it shoot out nurut… Anyway, it’s elusive…”
“That’s a strange metaphor that I sort of understand but also don’t.”
“Eh?”
Hearing a familiar voice, I sat up abruptly, and there stood Principal Quun accompanied by her silver Bear Golem.
“Ah, er, Principal Quun…!”
“Oh my, won’t you call me Senior? I’m lonely.”
“No, please spare me…”
Or rather, you could have told me you were the Principal… I was really surprised at the entrance ceremony!
“So? From what I saw, it looked like you were training in magic control. Or were you planning to jump through a ring of fire?”
“It is magic control training…”
If I could make a ring of fire, I would already have magic control down.
“It seems you are struggling.”
“I don’t really understand magic control. Essentially, it’s adjusting the amount you put out, right?”
“Well, it’s not just that, but roughly speaking, that is correct.”
“I intend to squeeze it out to the absolute limit, but it still ends up being a large amount, and if I squeeze it any further than that, it stops. I have absolutely no idea what I should do…”
When I grumbled with a sigh, Principal Quun was looking at me while giggling. Hey, it’s not a laughing matter.
“It is a stumbling block common to those with large magic capacity. I had a similar experience when I was a child.”
“How did you learn magic control, Principal?”
“You ask how I learned… Ah, so that’s it.”
The Principal is nodding as if convinced of something by herself. Eh? What is it?
“Are you someone who doesn’t use magic very often?”
“Eh? …Well, I guess so. It’s faster to run and punch.”
I used magic when I was active as an adventurer, but even that was only when defeating monsters like slimes that had specific blunt resistance, right? Other than that, it was just for starting a campfire or securing drinking water. Of course, I used recovery magic when I got hurt.
“I see. I generally understand. Parla, can I ask you?”
When the Principal said that, the Bear Golem tapped its chest ton as if to say ‘Leave it to me.’ The Bear Golem—Parla—hopped pyoko-pyoko behind me where I was sitting on the rooftop and lightly placed both arms on my back with a pon. The next moment, Zuo! I was assaulted by a sensation of something being pulled out from inside me. Wait a minute, this is…!
“Don’t move. Right now, Parla is sucking the magic out of you.”
“I knew it!?”
It feels like the magic inside my body is being rooted out from my back. I should need magic to perform magic control, so why take it away!? While that was happening, my body started to feel sluggish. Ah, this resembles when I rode Achilles and suffered magic depletion. No, I still have consciousness, so I guess I’m not fully depleted, but…
“Looks like it’s done. Good work, Parla.”
No, the one who put in the work is me though…! My body is heavy like lead… My head is spinning, and I feel a bit nauseous too!? This is completely poor physical condition!
“U-Um, why did you do this…?”
“Right now, you only have a few thousandths of your usual magic. In that state, try lighting a fire on your finger just like before.”
In this state!? Are you a demon! Sheesh, I’ll do it! I just have to do it, right!? Bo! I light a fire on my fingertip. Perhaps because my magic is low, a torch-like fire like before didn’t appear, only a tiny fire like that of a lighter came out. It doesn’t get big at all. Well, that makes sense… ……Huh?
“I’m doing it…”
The small fire lit on my fingertip neither grew larger nor went out; it kept burning continuously. Eh? I’m actually controlling magic!?
“Why…”
“You have a large amount of magic, and on top of that, since you rarely use magic, you’ve never experienced magic depletion. The time you collapsed recently was the first time, right?”
“Umm, yes.”
“In other words, you didn’t know the sensation of your true minimum output until now. Even if you intended it to be minimum output, practically speaking, you were still releasing too large of an amount. That’s why I cut it off from the source and made it so you couldn’t release large magic in the first place.”
Ah, so that’s why… In this state with so little magic, just squeezing it out is the best I can do. I see, so I just have to flow magic with this sensation. I get it. It feels like the scale markings for the magic stages inside me went from ten to a thousand all at once. Until now, even a magic level of ‘one’ was huge, but I have the sensation that I can adjust that further into a hundred stages. I can’t adjust it precisely by increments of one, like exactly thirteen or fourteen yet, but I think I can adjust it roughly.
“Thank you very much! With this, I think I can somehow learn magic control!”
“You don’t need to thank me, just put out that fire first. You don’t want to collapse from magic depletion again, do you?”
“Wawawa!”
Being told that by Principal Quun, I hurriedly extinguish the fire on my fingertip. I am using my magic at the very limit. I was truly about to deplete it and collapse again! Just as I was stroking my chest in relief that it was a close call, zui, a small bottle containing a dark green liquid was held out in front of my eyes by the Principal. Eh? Could this be… I fearfully look up at the Principal, who is smiling brightly.
“Is it Flora‘s Mana Potion…?”
“No.”
Ah, it’s not. Thank goodness, I thought I was going to be made to drink that damn bitter magic recovery potion again…
“It is Flora‘s High Mana Potion.”
“It got worse!?”
No, well, my condition hasn’t gotten worse, but! Ah, stop, don’t pull the cork! I’ll drink it! I’ll drink it myself! Let me drink it at my own timing! Mugu!?
“Gulph!?”
It’s harsh! Bitter! Astringent! If there were such a thing as a bitter worm in this world, it would surely taste like this! I didn’t collapse from magic depletion, but I collapsed pattari for a different reason… Candy… Please give me candy…
