Chapter 11: Magic measurement.
The next morning, I was excited to go to the church and my mood was high since morning.
"Big brother, you're smiling so much!"
"Marie, I'm going to the church today. I'm going to learn how to use magic!"
"Aww, big brother, you told me that so many times yesterday!"
I couldn't contain my excitement and kept telling Marie, which made her somewhat exasperated.
But I couldn't suppress this excitement, and I was fidgety even while having breakfast.
I couldn't concentrate on my usual tasks of laundry and cleaning and ended up doing a sloppy job of cleaning. I decided to go to Marcel's place to inform him that we could go to the city center tomorrow.
"I'll go inform Marcel about tomorrow!"
"Be careful!"
"Okay!"
I replied and rushed out of the house to Marcel's place. There wasn't much time left until lunchtime.
"Hello, Marcel-san!"
I called out as I arrived at his house. He came out from the back door as soon as I waited for a little while.
"What's up, Leon? Why are you here at this time?"
"I came to tell you that we can go to the city center tomorrow."
"That's quite early. Shall we meet at my house tomorrow? The shared carriage stop is nearby from my house."
"Yes! That's fine!"
"I'll prepare then."
"Thank you! I'll come again tomorrow!"
After the conversation, I left Marcel's house and ran back home. Judging from the position of the sun, the noon bell would ring soon.
"I'm home!"
As soon as I opened the door and said so, the noon bell rang.
"Leon, keep the door open!"
My mother called out from the kitchen, so I secured the door and waited for customers in the kitchen.
Soon after, customers came, and I started helping with the lunchtime business.
And after lunch service ended, we're all having lunch together.
"Marie, do you want to come with us? You can also go play with Nicola and Luke."
"I want to come with you!!"
"Okay, then let's all go together."
Marie and Dad were having that kind of conversation. It seems that today we're going to the church together.
The church is about a twenty-minute walk away, so it seems like we can walk there.
"Mom, how do you measure magical power?"
"First, you measure the amount of magical power. There's a metal plate that displays the amount of magical power when magical power flows through it. It's shown in numbers one to five, with five having the most magical power. After that, to find out your magical attribute, you try using all the basic magic of each attribute in order and see which one you can use. That's your attribute."
So magical power can be measured using a device, but we can't tell our attribute using that? We have to try from scratch and see which one works.
"Mom and Dad are fire attribute, right? Are they able to use it easily?"
"Yes, although we couldn't use other attributes at all, we were able to use fire attribute right away. I wonder what attribute Leon is."
So that means we can use our own attribute right away. I wonder what mine is... If possible, I'd like it to be recovery attribute. It's a big advantage to be able to heal my own injuries.
"I want a recovery attribute! Is there any attribute that's more common?"
"Recovery attribute is very convenient, you don't have to go to the church and pay money. But there is an imbalance in attributes, with fire attribute being the most common and recovery attribute being the least common."
"I see... Then maybe a recovery attribute is impossible."
"It's not that extremely rare, so there's a possibility."
So there's no extreme imbalance in attributes, but there are differences in abundance. I'm really curious about my own attribute... Well, I'll know when we go to the church.
After finishing lunch and getting ready to go out, we all walked to the church together.
The church was a small, neat building with a main towered chapel in the middle and slightly smaller buildings on either side connected by a covered walkway.
It seemed that the church played the role of both an orphanage and a hospital... impressive. Come to think of it, I wonder what the attitude toward faith is in this world?
"Mom, what are the buildings on the left and right?"
"They are an orphanage and a healing facility. They are always attached to the church."
So the church serves as an orphanage and a hospital too... amazing. Come to think of it, it's probably not a world where religion is strong. As a former Japanese, I'm glad that religion isn't a big deal, as it can be a hassle.
As we talked, we stepped into the church. Inside, there was what looked like a statue of a god in the back and benches facing it in front.
"Hello, are you here to pray today?"
A woman in a habit spoke to us as we entered. My father answered her.
"We came to have Leon's magic measured today. Can we do it now?"
"Yes, there's no one else here today, so you won't have to wait."
"That's great. Then we'll leave Leon in your hands."
"Okay. Leon, come over here please."
The nun pointed to one of the doors on the side of the chapel.
"Am I going alone?"
I was a little anxious about being alone in the church, but apparently, magic measurement is done alone.
"Okay then, I'll do my best. You guys wait in these chairs."
"Take care, Leon."
"Good luck, big brother!"
"Okay, then," I said as I was being sent off, and slipped through the door into the room.
In the room I entered, there was a table in the center with a metal plate on top of it. There were only two chairs facing each other.
"Please have a seat in the chair in front of you," she said.
"Yes," I replied, a little nervous, and sat in the chair in front of me as instructed.
"We will now begin measuring your magical power. First, place your hand on this metal plate. When you do, the magic will be automatically drawn out, so remember the feeling, as it will be the same feeling when you use magic."
"I understand."
I answered like so, nervously placing my hand on the metal plate.
Then, there was a sensation of something being drawn out from inside my body. So this is magical power...I never realized it before.
Once I realized my magical power with this device, maybe I could use magic.
After my magical power was drawn out for a while, the nun spoke up.
"You can release your hand now."
"Yes."
"Now we can measure your magical power. Your magical power level is...5. Amazing, it's the highest level of magical power. You can even take the soldier's exam."
"The soldier's exam...?"
"To become a knight, you have to graduate from the Royal School, so most knights are nobles. But soldiers can become one with a magical power level of 4 or 5, even if they are commoners. It's a popular job because the pay is high."
"I see! Well, that's good news!"
I tried my best to have a childish conversation, resisting the urge to use polite language.
However, I didn't know about being a soldier...the pay might be good, but I'm aiming for the Royal School, so I won't become a soldier.
"Next, let's find out your attribute. Do you know how many types of magic attributes there are?"
"Yes! There are six: fire, water, wind, earth, body strengthening, and healing!"
"Correct. Try using the simplest magic of each attribute and if you can use one, that will be your attribute. You can only have one attribute. Which one do you want to try first?"
"I want to try healing!"
"Okay, the easiest magic for the healing attribute is the Light spell. Imagine your index finger glowing with light and say 'Light.' The most important thing in magic is imagination. If you put your magical power into your imagination, the magic will activate. You will be able to use it without saying anything once you get used to it. Give it a try."
"Okay! 'Light'."
I imagined my fingertips glowing and chanted "Light" while being conscious of the magic I used earlier. Then, just as I had imagined, my fingertips lit up.
Amazing!! I did it!! Magic is really cool.
"I did it!"
"You're a recovery attribute, that's good. Once you get the hang of it, you can use magic quickly with practice. Imagery is important, so keep practicing. Other recovery attributes are healing and purification. Healing is magic that heals wounds, and purification is magic that cleanses dirt."
Recovery and purification magic, huh.
"I'll practice from now on!"
"Your magic power is five, so you might be able to heal broken bones and such. Practice well."
"Yes! Can't you cure illnesses?"
"You can't cure illnesses with recovery magic. Only injuries."
"Is that so?"
Can't you really cure illnesses? Based on the stories I've heard so far, magic seems to be determined by its attribute and the imagery and magic power used.
If it's a recovery attribute, it seems like it can cure illnesses too... I want to try it sometime. Well, I'll do it when I get home.
"Well then, do your best in practice from now on. Magic is convenient to use, you know. And with your healing attribute and high magic power, you can work at the Healing Institute if you're interested. Please come by if you are."
The nun smiled at me with a look that felt like she was eyeing her prey... Uh... I might need to escape soon...
If I keep this up, I might end up being forced to work at the Healing Institute.
"T-Thank you very much," I said.
As I stood up from my chair and tried to leave through the door right behind me, the nun sent me off with the same predatory look.
Phew, I should try not to come to the church too often...
As I thought that, I returned to the chapel where everyone was waiting.
"Leon, are you finished?"
"Yeah! I have a magic power level of five and a healing attribute!"
"Your magic power level is five? That's amazing. If you have a healing attribute, you can ask Leon to heal you if you get injured."
"That's right, from now on, if we get hurt, we'll ask Leon."
"Big brother has a healing attribute? Then it's okay if we get hurt!"
"Marie, you shouldn't get hurt if you can help it."
"Yes, sir!"
As my parents listened to mine and Marie's conversation, they smiled kindly.
I sincerely thought that it was great to have this attribute that could heal my family.
"Well then, shall we go home?"
"Yes, let's go. Shall we have a fancy dinner tonight to celebrate?"
"Fancy dinner!! Yeah!!"
"Thank you, mom!"
We left the church while having that conversation and started walking home.
I made up my mind to learn how to use this magic that could protect this kind family.