Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Private Attribute Lessons (2)

“Ah, understood! I’ll do as you say. But please stop playing around with my stomach…”

Carla whimpered as she placed her hand on my chest.

Rustle.

I could faintly feel her slender fingers through the thin fabric.

I enjoyed the strangely tingling warmth from Carla’s body.

Carla, who had been touching my chest for quite a while, repeatedly tilted her head left and right.

“Huh? Uh-huh? Hm-hmm?”

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not a problem per se…”

Carla paused and gently pressed down on me with her palm.

“Does it feel too good?”

“…My body?”

Somehow.

Actually, Carla was an open book, which is why she was able to come up with the idea of a juicy kiss.

I nodded my head in understanding, and she shook her head in disbelief.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, I meant my nose, not my body! Ah, I meant my core!”

“Awww. I can’t believe you’re a pervert who gets turned on by mana cores rather than people. I’m going to have to grab you one of these days and give you a proper sex education.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

The trembling of Carla’s thighs in the back of my head was unnerving.

It was like when you steal your best friend’s shoes in elementary school, and they chase after you, but then they fall to the ground.

At this rate, she was going to go from crying to sobbing. I changed the subject, patting Carla on the side.

“What, you’re kidding? You said your core was feeling too good? What do you mean?”

“…It’s too intricate.”

I tried not to let it show, but the frustration in my voice was palpable.

However, it seemed that teasing her further would stall the conversation. So, I smoothly changed the topic.

“Intricate, you say? Carla, do you want to say you did a good job conveying the core to me?”

“Of course. I wanted to impress you, so I went the extra mile in crafting the core for you. That much is true.”

She was correct. Generally, when you first inherit a mana core, it usually starts at a D or E-rank.

Although how far one could grow varied, everyone would start at the bottom. But the Lindeblum core that Carla provided for me started at a whopping C-rank.

So when Carla said she pushed herself, it wasn’t an exaggeration.

“But that only means I made the core a bit bigger and more robust. The intricacy of the core and the efficiency that stems from it are entirely different matters.”

“Uh… I still don’t get it.”

“Let me put it simply for you. Imagine you have identical twins. They are the same height, the same weight, and have the same strength.”

Carla continued her explanation, swinging her fists in the air.

“But they have different skills. One has been learning to play instruments for 10 years, and the other has been doing manual labor for 10 years. If they fight, who will win?”

“Well, the one who did manual labor would, right? Even if all other physical conditions are equal, they’d know how to use their strength better.”

“Exactly! Even with the same core, if you know how to handle it properly, you can manipulate mana more efficiently! And you, my current master, give off that exact vibe.”

“…But I haven’t done anything?”

“That’s why it’s surprising. By any chance, did you tamper with the core while circulating your mana?”

“Of course not. I thought I might mess it up and cause problems.”

While ruining the core didn’t mean your heart would explode, you would lose the ability to create a core ever again. After going through the trouble of purchasing Carla to fix my mana sensitivity issues, I couldn’t risk it.

“My goodness… To think you just luckily ended up in this state… No, if that were the case, you couldn’t have maintained it this long.”

“So it’s a good thing?”

“More than good! It’s beyond words. It’s on a similar level to my archmage father. How did you–Ah, um, what I meant was…”

Carla trailed off, flustered and stammering.

Perhaps she regretted saying that I resembled her father, whom she knew as a manipulator.

I would have to find an opportunity to clear the Lindelheit family’s name of being manipulative later on. Originally, it was a negotiation card I had saved for the day I could remove her slave seal myself, but seeing the current Carla, it didn’t seem necessary.

Looking up at her, my gaze half-obscured by Carla’s ample chest, I gave her a light tap.

“Heek! M-Master…?”

“It’s fine. You were just making an example, right? I won’t make a big deal out of it.”

“Thank you…”

“Anyway, I get that my core is intricately crafted. So, what exactly does that mean?”

“Hmm. The Lindeblum breathing method involves weaving small loops to create one large loop, right?”

“Yes.”

Even now, if I focus just a bit on my heart, I can vividly feel the existence of the core, so I understand that much.

“Normally, the sizes of the small loops vary, and the large loop can often be distorted. I managed to shape the large loop fine, but I couldn’t fully adjust the small ones.”

“I see. Now I get what you’re trying to say.”

The core I sensed near my heart felt quite subtle. Not more or less, it was exactly a C-rank. However, when looking closely, the components of the core were beyond what could be termed as C-rank.

Each small loop was of equal size, and they all combined to form a perfectly round large loop.

As if mass-produced in a factory, it lacked any human touch.

…Lacked any human touch?

Something bothered me, but I hurried Carla along.

“So it’s a good thing, right? There are no issues, so let’s get back to what we were doing.”

“Ah, yes. From now on, I will guide the mana into resonance with your core, so please remember it well.”

Carla’s hand that was placed over my heart emanated a faint coolness. And then–

Thump. Thump.

The sound of my heartbeat echoed in my ears.

No, this wasn’t the sound coming from my heart.

It was just an illusion created by the vivid presence of the core enveloping my heart.

And there was another sound coming from outside, not inside me.

Thump. Thump.

Another resonance was transmitted through the hand touching my chest.

Carla’s core, boasting a much more robust presence than mine, was resonating with my core.

It almost looked like they were having a conversation with each other.

But the back-and-forth resonance gradually narrowed its gap until they overlapped entirely as one.

The core that should resonate with external mana began to resonate with Carla’s core.

Hum–

Around the time I could no longer distinguish which heartbeat was mine and Carla’s, a refreshing mana flowed from Carla’s hand into my body.

The foreign mana that should have repelled and expelled each other naturally blended in as if they were one from the start.

Then my mana, which had only moved along the mana circuit, went beyond the circuit.. and moved towards the tip of my fingers.

“It’s true that mana is most stable when it follows the mana circuit. But that doesn’t mean it should only move along the circuit.”

Carla explained in a soft voice as I stared blankly at my glowing blue fingertip.

“Later, you can draw magic circles outside using the resonating core and surrounding mana, but that will be difficult for now. Initially, it will be more comfortable to draw magic circles with concentrated mana on your fingertips.”

“So if I draw a magic circle like this, will the magic be cast? Ah, I also need to recite incantations, right?”

“That’s just the surface level. Internally, you’ll have to go through a more complex process to manifest magic.”

“…I’ve read some basic magic books before. Are you talking about imagination, will, intuition, and formulas?”

Upon mentioning the contents I memorized thanks to my excellent memory, a hint of laughter tinged Carla’s voice.

“That’s right! You know a lot. The four main components of magic are imagination, will, intuition, and formulas.”

“So mana is not included in constructing magic?”

“The will of the wizard is essentially their mana. So when you see phrases in a spellbook saying to pour your will into something, it means to exert stronger mana.”

So that was what it meant.

If arms and legs are moved by muscles, then mana is moved by will.

If you summon strong mana, you naturally harbor a strong will as well.

“At this point, let me explain a bit more about the stages of manifesting magic. Honestly, spellbooks aren’t designed for self-study, even if they’re basic. If you just read them, it would have been quite difficult for you.”

“…No wonder I didn’t understand a thing.”

So it wasn’t that I was dumb.

Upon my relieved mumbling, Carla chuckled.

“But now I’m here, aren’t I? Although it might sound a bit odd coming from my own mouth, I am a highly competent slave.”

“I suppose so. Being a mid-level wizard makes you elite among wizards.”

By the way, high-level wizards were treated more like siege weapons than individuals. Their high-level spells did have such power, after all.

“Hehe… Anyway, let’s get back to the main topic. We were discussing the sequence of manifesting magic, right?”

First, you imagine the phenomenon you want, then overlay your will upon that imagination, and finally, adjust the result with intuition and formulas.

That was the sequence for manifesting magic, as Carla explained.

“The simpler the magic, the less significant the roles of intuition and formulas are. There’s not much to adjust for simple spells.”

For example, the ‘Clean’ spell that Carla often used.

It was a spell to wash away dirt, but what constitutes ‘dirt’ in the first place?

If it was waste material, how much of it should be removed, and how much was necessary on the skin?

A misuse of ‘Clean’ could potentially strip away all your skin.

Similarly, when wiping a spilled drink off your clothes, you might accidentally dispel the moisture in your eyes as well.

These intricate aspects, which were difficult to describe in words, were controlled by intuition.

“Formulas are a bit easier to understand. They control the range and direction.”

“So they prevent the caster from being harmed by their own magic?”

“No, that falls under the realm of intuition. The formulas make sure you don’t get caught in the backfire created by your own magic.”

“Having seen you use Prominence Flare before, I have a feel for it.”

Carla responded with a cheerful smile, nodding as if to say she thought I was ready.

“Then, let’s try doing it! What should we start with? How about something simple, like Tinder? If things go wrong, I can always step in to ignite the spark.”

“I’m not sure what to do, even if you tell me to try it all of a sudden.”

“It’s not difficult. Didn’t I say earlier? For basic magic, imagination and willpower are more important than intuition and formulas. First, imagine a spark.”

A spark, huh? I’ve often made campfires. Thanks to my excellent memory, imagining the sparks fluttering above the fire wasn’t too difficult.

“Don’t worry about the magical energy. I’ll handle that. Just focus on remembering the movement and wishing for it strongly.”

A spark. A small spark that could blaze up when given enough fuel.

I kept chanting that in my mind.

“Ready? Now, with your finger where the magical energy is concentrated, draw a circle.”

I drew a circle, and a faint blue light remained in the air, slightly distorting the shape of the circle.

“Now, within that circle of magical energy, chant an incantation as you wish for the spark to appear. The content doesn’t matter as long as it helps you visualize and signals the start of the magic.”

It felt somewhat similar to when I was issuing a command to Carla through the slave engraving.

“Rise, [Tinder].”

Whoosh.

A small spark emerged within the blue circle, taking the final incantation as a signal. It was about the size of a match flame and even wavered a bit, but still… it was magic.

The first magic I’d ever used. A wondrous power that was exclusive to this world.

“Ah…”

As if enchanted, I was staring blankly at the small spark I had created when–

Ding!

【You have learned Basic Magic: Tinder (F)】

【You have acquired your first magic. Obtained the ‘Clumsy Magic (F)’ trait】

An alert sounded, and–

Whoosh.

The previously wavering spark stabilized.

Then, it began to burn even brighter with a more vivid scarlet hue.

…I knew something was off.

So, this was the reason.