Chapter 40: The Magic Class
I am currently on my way to the royal palace in the carriage of Lady Catherine and the Duke's family.
It has been a few weeks since Martine's illness was cured. Martine has been recovering well, and she is now well enough to attend magic classes, which is why I was summoned.
"I am truly honored to be able to accompany you. Will you also instruct me in recovery magic?"
"I cannot say if it will be beneficial to Lady Catherine, but I will provide the guidance."
"No need to be modest. You cured both Lady Martine and Alban's illnesses. You are far more skilled than I am. I've been looking forward to this day."
"I'm glad to hear you say that. Thank you..."
The day I cured Lady Martine, I returned to the Duke's mansion with Lord Richard and explained the events to Lady Catherine.
Upon learning that her illness had been cured, Lady Catherine was overjoyed and delighted to know that she could also learn recovery magic.
According to Lord Richard, she has a curious and adventurous nature, always eager to try new things.
Indeed, sometimes her eyes seem to fixate on her prey. I'd prefer to keep my distance... Well, she's not a bad person, though...
After enduring that slightly awkward time, we arrived at the royal palace. I wonder where the class will take place.
Guided by Lady Catherine, we made our way to a reception room where Lady Alexis and Lady Martine were present.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, it's been a while."
"Oh, there's no need to be so formal. It's been a while indeed, Catherine."
"Welcome back, Lady Catherine."
While Lady Catherine exchanged greetings, I had to refrain from speaking as I am considered a servant. I stood quietly behind Lady Catherine.
After exchanging greetings and some idle chatter, the conversation momentarily paused. Then, His Majesty asked everyone else to leave.
"Now, everyone, please leave. Catherine's techniques are strictly confidential. We don't want anyone else to overhear."
"Understood, Your Majesty. However, my servant is necessary for teaching magic, so I would appreciate it if he could stay."
"I see. Then, only Catherine's servant may stay."
Upon hearing this, everyone else agreed and left the room. The door closed, leaving only the four of us.
"Leon, you may take a seat on the sofa."
"Thank you. Excuse me."
Feeling a little nervous, I sat on the sofa.
"This time, I came here as it's my first class, but from next time onwards, it will be only Martine. Martine will handle the rest, including the dismissal of others. Now that I've explained the reason for this class, the dismissal process should be smoother next time."
"Yes. Thank you, Father."
Martine-sama seems to have fully recovered, looking a bit plumper and adorable. Her luxurious fluffy golden hair and sparkling light pink eyes give her a doll-like cuteness. No, she might even be cuter than a doll, with her human-like qualities.
Her smile has ten times the impact...
While I'm lost in such foolish thoughts, Alexis-sama calls out to me. I try not to show it, but I flinch a bit before calmly facing Alexis-sama.
We are seated on a two-person sofa, with Martine-sama in front of me and Catherine-sama in front of Alexis-sama.
"Leon, thank you for coming. Can I ask you to come about once a week from now on? Catherine, is that okay with you as well?"
"Yes, I can come anytime."
"Yes, I'm available anytime."
"Then, can you come once a week on the Day of Recovery?"
"Yes, I understand."
Hmm... if I remember correctly, in this country, a week consists of five days: Fire Day, Water Day, Wind Day, Earth Day, and the Day of Recovery.
Come to think of it, I still don't know how many days or months make up a year here. It has never been mentioned. While Leon has memories and an age, I do know there is a concept of a year, but I don't know the details.
I've been talking about weeks and days without really knowing. Well, I guess I'll have the opportunity to learn in due course.
For now, let's make sure to remember the week properly.
"Now let's start today's lesson. Today, I want to listen too."
"Yes, let me begin the lesson. First, do you all know that you can reduce magic consumption by imagining it?"
"Imagining it? While we were taught that we need to have a clear image to activate magic, I've never heard that it can reduce magic consumption."
Martine-sama tilts her head in confusion.
"I've never heard of such a thing either."
If even the King, Alexis-sama, doesn't know, then it means this information is not widely known.
In this world, while using magic by imagining the manifestation of a phenomenon is common, people don't typically imagine why that phenomenon occurs. But imagining the latter can actually reduce magic consumption.
That's where we start.
"Martine-sama, you use recovery attribute magic to heal wounds, right? Do you know why the wounds heal when you use magic?"
"Why? Because I used magic."
Ms. Martine said it as if it were a matter of course.
In this world, magic exists and is incredibly convenient. Perhaps that's why no one has deeply pondered the reasons behind its occurrence. The reason is simply magic, and everything is neatly explained by that.
"But even without using healing magic, wounds eventually heal. Have you ever thought about why that is?"
"Wounds heal even without using healing magic!?"
Huh?! From that perspective!?
Certainly, for nobles, whenever they get injured, their personal magician quickly heals them, so they may have never witnessed natural healing...
Noble servants would promptly heal any visible wounds to avoid being unsightly.
Commoners, on the other hand, don't go to healing institutions for minor injuries, so natural healing is commonplace for them...
However, even if commoners are aware of this, they don't have the luxury of researching or trying to uncover the reasons. After all, most of them have received little education.
"Not using healing magic can still heal wounds. Healing magic is more like a support in that process."
"I see..."
"Yes. By understanding the mechanism of natural healing and visualizing it when using healing magic, the consumption of magical power can be reduced."
From there, I explained to them the mechanism of natural healing as far as my limited knowledge allowed. It was quite challenging to explain, as I barely understood the human body's workings, but I think they managed to grasp it. Despite my modest knowledge, it would be far better than their previous state of ignorance.
"I somewhat understand now!"
"I also comprehend. I want to try it out for myself."
Phew~. Finally, they understood... It took over an hour.
Now comes the practical part, but I can't possibly inflict injuries on nobles or royals. I guess I'll have to cut my own finger...
"If anyone has a knife, I think it's better to try by cutting your finger a bit. Does anyone have one?"
"Ah, I have one."
Saying so, Lord Alexis took out a small knife from the inside of his coat and lent it to me.
Is this some kind of hidden weapon for emergencies?
Scary... but pretending not to care is probably the best approach...
With some trepidation, I received the knife and cut my finger.
"Now, Martine-sama, please give it a try. Concentrate on the image firmly."
"Yes!"
As Martine-sama used magic, my fingertip glowed faintly, and when the light disappeared, the wound had completely vanished.
"How much magical power did it consume?"
"It's amazing! I used significantly less magical power than usual. If I could only use magic once, I think I could now use it four more times!"
So, that means she have only used about one-fifth of the magic power. Great! It's a success!
After that, Lady Catherine tried it too, and it seems she was able to control the amount of magic power consumption in the same way.
I feel really exhausted... Teaching someone from scratch is tougher than I thought. Japan's compulsory education is amazing.
Let's call it a day for today. Trying to do too many things at once will just make things confusing.
The practice of healing illnesses will have to wait for the next time. Well, even if I teach it, there's no guarantee they'll be able to do it... The biggest problem is the amount of magic power.
For things like colds, maybe if you heal a little bit at a time over several sessions, it'll become possible to cure them? Well, that's something to try next time.
That's all for today. I'm tired...
"Now, let's stop here for today. Please practice before the next session."
"Yes! Leon, thank you so much! Your magic is incredible. I'm happy you taught me."
"I would be delighted to hear that from Lady Martine."
"You don't have to be so formal... You can call me Martine without honorifics. After all, you're my teacher, Leon. Should I call you Teacher Leon?"
No, no, I can't call the princess like that! Besides, I'm not worthy of being called a teacher.
"I cannot address Lady Martine so informally. Please, continue as usual."
"Is that so...? Well, I guess it can't be helped for now. But from now on, right?"
After Lady Martine showed a slightly discontented expression, she said something rather ominous. I don't think I'll ever call Lady Martine by her first name without honorifics!
Though Lady Martine seemed a bit dissatisfied, she finally seemed to accept it, and a feeling of conclusion settled in. I was relieved, thinking I'd rest once I got back, but someone shattered that atmosphere.
"Leon, you have images for magic other than healing, right? How about teaching me the image for fire magic?"
Alexis-sama gazed at me with a smile that didn't give me any room to refuse. Huh? Right now? I'm so tired, I just want to go home...
Ugh... I can't say no.
While feeling like crying, I agreed.
"Understood."
From there, I explained the concept of air and oxygen.
...It took about another hour.
But it was worth it; it seems she finally understood. Explaining concepts that don't exist in this world is truly challenging.
"Now, try creating a small fireball."
"Oh, wow! This is amazing. The magic consumption is reduced to about one-tenth."
After Alexis-sama expressed his admiration, he fell silent with a slightly troubled expression.
He must be struggling with how much of this method to reveal. It's risky to spread it too easily as it could make our enemies stronger.
"Leon, what do you think about spreading this method?"
"Yes. I don't intend to spread it widely to a large number of people. It would make our enemies stronger and be dangerous. However, I think it's okay to teach it to trustworthy individuals, like today."
As I said this with determination in my eyes, Alexis-sama seemed to understand and his expression softened a little.
"I thought the same. When you graduate from the Royal Academy, I want you to become a teacher who teaches magic. Of course, only to those I trust."
He's already deciding on my future career even though I haven't even enrolled yet!?
I don't really know about things so far ahead, but I believe in Alexis-sama. It's not a bad idea...
"While it's still too early to talk about the distant future, I think I'd be willing to accept."
"Really!? Thank you. Then, until that time, please be careful not to let it be widely known."
"Understood."
"And speaking of the distant future, it's not that far off."
Why is that...? The Royal Academy is five years long, right?
"Isn't it still more than five years away?"
"No, you're mistaken. The Royal Academy conducts graduation exams every winter, and all students from every grade take the test. Those who pass graduate, so if a first-year student passes the graduation exam, they graduate in one year. Usually, most students don't pass until their third or fourth year, but some manage to graduate in just one year. I think Leon might graduate in one year."
"Oh, that's how it works... Interesting."
But why am I being looked at with such high expectations? It's not like I'm exceptionally smart or anything.
I only have memories of studying in Japan and the maturity of an adult. I might have to work hard for the graduation exam...
"I see, I'll do my best."
"Yeah, there are plenty of job opportunities, so do your best. I wouldn't mind having you as my aide... but it might be too soon for that. Maybe becoming an assistant to the Prime Minister could also be an option..."
It seems like my future job is being decided without my involvement. I appreciate it, but it's too sudden and too early!
"Well, there's still more than a year to think about it. Anyway, for now, there's something else. My wife and Martine's twin brother would like to thank you. They also want to give you a token of their appreciation. Can you meet them later? They know everything about your abilities, so you don't need to worry."
Wait, those two are... the Queen and the Crown Prince!?
They are extraordinary people again... I guess I'll just have to face it. If I keep getting nervous about every little thing, I won't be able to handle it.
"Yes. However, I already received a token of appreciation from Alexis-sama, so it's more than enough..."
"Well, they were really excited about choosing the gift, so please accept it from them."
Alexis-sama said with a wry smile. I'm a bit scared of receiving a gift that the royals were so excited about! I wouldn't even know where to keep it, being a commoner and all!
As I was feeling all jittery, Alexis-sama rang a bell to call a servant and asked them to fetch the two people.
I tried my best to keep my composure and put on a brave face until the two arrived.