Chapter 27
At the center of the school grounds stands the library building. From the outside, it appears to be a four-story structure, probably composed of six triangular buildings arranged to form a hexagon when viewed from above. There’s a circular plaza in the middle, with a staircase leading underground in one corner. So, there’s an additional underground section as well.
This is because there are five magical attributes, and the books for each attribute are housed in separate buildings. The remaining one building collects books on non-magical subjects.
Since magic, while convenient for daily life, can also be dangerous if misused, magical texts—especially grimoires—can only be viewed within this library inside the imperial capital. That’s why, I hear, there’s one building per attribute to hold the vast collection of books.
Incidentally, books on non-magical subjects are also available in regular city bookstores and used bookstores, so it seems just one building is enough to hold only what’s necessary for studies.
Professor Blazide speaks in the central plaza of this library complex.
“As I mentioned in the recent lesson, the five magical attributes are Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, and Light.
That building is the Fire Wing, next to it is Earth, then Water… and so on. Now, each of you, enter the wing corresponding to your primary attribute and work on the report assignment I just gave you. Just writing it won’t be enough. You must demonstrate in the next lecture whether you’ve become able to use the magic.”
Pretty Spartan, huh? Making us practice after just writing a report is like telling us to study on our own.
“Well then, I suppose I’ll head to the Fire Wing.
Shunsuke, you’re Fire too, right? Let’s go.”
Lord Seilard murmurs.
Today, Brid and the others have their specialized classes, so the only one behind His Highness is one professional imperial knight guard. So…
“No, I’ll be heading to the Wind Wing.”
I plan to go separately.
“What!? The Fire path can make you stronger!”
“No, Your Highness, it’s not that I’m seeking to master strength…”
Just because I beat Brid, I resent being thought of as a battle maniac. I’m a peace-loving Japanese (probably).
“Shunsuke, thine destination is the underground, from there.”
The professor points to a stairwell where no one else is going.
“Well, can’t be helped then. See you later, Shunsuke.”
His Highness enters the Fire Wing with his guard.
“So, it’s not the main magical library wings for you.”
“Thou hast likely already mastered the necessary grimoires in the above-ground wings, correct?”
“Yes.” Now that you mention it, that seems to be the case.
Rewinding the story a bit, yesterday I visited Professor Blazide’s room and read the books that were there: “Basic Beginner Magic Even a Monkey Could Understand” and “Applied Beginner Magic Even a Monkey Could Understand.” The monkeys in this world must be pretty smart.
The professor was out, teaching an upperclassman lecture, but I had been asked to come.
I sat on a chair at the garden table set, a cushion placed on it, put the souvenir shaved ice on the table, and busied myself with self-study.
Today, I’d made a compote of diced pears and used it as a topping. I had several disposable coffee stirrers, the kind with a little spoon on the end like an ear pick, placed beside me.
Using one of them, while interfering with gravity and focusing on wind magic, I made it float, moving it psychokinesis-style like in those old anime even my mom would call ancient, and tried to scoop some ice.
About thirty minutes ago, I wasn’t successful and had made the area around the bowl all wet.
But now, I’ve done it.
Oh, felt a little bit of resistance. Just as I thought that, the shaved ice I was lifting got eaten. Well, more accurately, I’m feeding it.
“Yummy~ Sweet~”
“Oh! Glad to hear it.”
“More.”
“Okay, once more.”
I scoop another bite.
“Hey, Prince, I want some too!”
“A bigger spoon?”
Other stirrers are also moving around, floating uncertainly; is she scooping it herself?
“Nah. ‘Ahhn’ is better.”
I still don’t know where her mouth is.
“I don’t know where your mouth is.”
“Oh, fine then.”
The scenery near my hand shimmers slightly, and a girl is sitting on my left hand, which was resting on the table.
Yes! It’s a spirit!
“Okay then, here, say ‘ahh’.”
You’d want to feed a cute girl like this directly, right?
I take the stirrer in my right hand this time, scoop some shaved ice, and bring it to the spirit’s mouth.
“Hehe. Tasty. Thanks, Prince.”
“Have some more if you’d like.”
“Ahhn~”
Whoa, so cute! It feels kind of like feeding a small bird, you know?
Her size is about that of a sparrow or a finch.
The girl in a fluffy yellow one-piece dress also has yellow hair. She has dragonfly-like wings on her back.
Let me take a commemorative photo. Click. Wow, I got it with my smartphone!
This yellow child seems to be a wind spirit.
“Me too, wanna be fed ‘ahhn’.”
Judging by the speech, a boy appeared this time.
A spirit with red hair, dressed in what looks like red overalls. This one is probably fire?
“Here, say ‘ahh’.”
“Heh-heh~” The boy is cute too.
And then, others appeared: green (earth), blue (water), white (light) — five spirits in total (I don’t know the unit for counting them, so let’s go with that for now).
“Oh, Prince, studying magic?” says the first yellow girl who appeared for me. She says this while looking at the book on the table.
She’s still sitting on my left index finger, so I gently lift her up to the front of my face. She has no weight.
“Yeah. I just started studying.”
“Hmm. Well then,” she says, standing up on my hand, and…
Chu
She puts both hands on the tip of my nose and kissed me! I’m moved, getting a kiss from a cute girl!
“Oh, then me too!” Saying this, the boy, hovering in flight, gives me a chu on my right cheek.
He just looks boyish; I don’t even know if they have genders.
And so, one after another, the spirits attack my whole face.
The last white one got my upper lip.
They’re all so forward!
Just as I thought a storm-like period of popularity had arrived, the magical power inside my body began to swirl.
“Whoa, my head hurts!”
“Oh no! Prince, the grimoire in your ears, reset!”
“Huh? R-reset?”
But I let go of consciousness right then.
When I came to, I was lying on the sofa in the professor’s room.
“Art thou alright?”
“I am…”
“Lad, thou wert being doted on by the spirits, wert thou not?”
“Haha, yes, that’s right.” Though I was the one doting on them.
“Keep thine eyes closed a while longer. Do not change thy form back to human yet. If thou forcest thy condition back with potions or the like, the precious goodwill of the spirits will be halved.
‘I myself saw the light of spirits for the first time in hundreds of years. ‘Twas but a glimpse, but I saw them buzzing around thee as thou wert collapsed on the greenhouse table. I could tell they were terribly worried about thee.”
“Yes.”
“I shall have thy attendant contacted.”
“Thank you.”
With that, the professor left the room, locking the door behind him.
On the opposite sofa, the square mirror magic tool I used last time was propped up.
I’m still in my pale elf form. And my body is glowing again, but unlike before, lights of various colors are swirling around me. In that state, I lost consciousness once more.
When I became aware again, I was sleeping in my own bedroom at the mansion.
Arisa had slipped into the same futon.
I pinch my bangs. Still silver hair, huh.
I touch my ears. They’re long.
Looking at the window, the gap in the blackout curtains is faintly turning white.
Even after all that, I still have my smartphone nearby, huh? Checking the time, it’s almost dawn.
I gently get out of the futon so as not to wake Arisa.
On the nearby sofa, a set of clothes for my morning training at the coast is laid out.
Still in the sleepwear I don’t remember changing into, I go to wash up, rinse my mouth, and wash my face.
I look in the mirror. Heh, this might be the first time I’ve washed my face in my elf form.
Have I gotten a bit more used to this appearance? I ask the me in the mirror.
…Nah, not really, it still doesn’t feel natural.
Now that I think of it, those kids yesterday also had pointed ears. Even if the scale was different.
“Prince, are you okay?”
I can see the yellow girl through the mirror. Did you follow me? Are you worried about me?
“Thanks for worrying. I’m fine now. Thanks to you guys, I managed to learn magic.”
Now for the practical part.
After a massive input session, comes the output. The basics of studying. Though it’d be bad if I output too much.
“Yay! I’m glad!”
“See, I told you the Prince would be fine!”
“Yes, yes!”
“Hey, hey, Prince, wanna give it a try?”
Right now, I only hear the voices of the other colored kids. But from their way of speaking, I can kinda tell who’s who.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m heading to the sea now, so let’s give it a shot.”
“Hooray!”
“We’ll be watching from hiding!”
Returning to the room, before changing and heading to the sea…
There’s a cup and a pitcher of water by the bedside.
I pick up just the cup and quietly activate a tiny bit of water magic.
The magic I got from the blue kid’s kiss.
Water appears from the bottom of the cup, filling it about eighty percent.
Then, I activate a tiny bit of the higher water attribute magic. A piece of rock ice floats in it.
Whoa, without any tools! I did it!
And then, I gulp down the cold water in one go. Of course, one hand is on my hip!
“Pwah! Tasty!”
Arisa, who’s not a morning person, won’t wake up from a noise like that.
Next, I touch my earring.
“Change.”
Even after becoming black-haired and black-eyed, it doesn’t faze me at all!
I produce water and ice in the cup again.
No incantation, just a mental command.
I drink another cup of water, then head out to the sandy beach with just a T-shirt, shorts, and a waist pouch.
The beach, bustling in summer, is completely deserted far into the distance, even beyond the outer grounds, now that it’s autumn.
No need to hold back, right? I try shooting wind, fire, and such from my hands, digging holes in the sand, producing water, and launching various things towards the morning sun. Yep, I can use them all. Next is application, I guess.
“Brr, it’s a bit chilly.”
The October seaside morning is quite cold.
To warm up my body, I do some stretches and then run barefoot along the sandy shore. Picking up speed, I head along the coast to the lighthouse. It’s about six kilometers away.
Reaching near the lighthouse in about twenty minutes, I slow down and take a towel from my waist pouch. Sitting on the breakwater at the edge of the sand, I wash my bare feet with my newly learned water magic and dry them with the towel.
I put on my socks and sneakers. The fishing port is lively from the early morning. The guild starts really early too.
As I’m walking, pulling on my hoodie, someone waves from a fishing boat.
“Ooi!”
“Pesca! Maru!”
“Shunsuke, long time no see.”
In the tank opened on the deck, there are about three mermaid folk. Ah!
“Vichia!”
“Shunsuke.”
The injuries she suffered from the shark monster, the Fangtooth Shark, before are completely healed, and she’s back to fishing.
“Are you heading out now?”
“Yes.”
“Please be careful.”
“Thank you.
Hey, Shunsuke.”
“Yes?”
“I want to sing again.”
“Oh, right. I’ve been invited to next month’s church event.”
“Oh, me too!”
“Then we can perform together.”
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”
They have fishing preparations, so chatting too long would be a bother.
“Well then, see you later.”
“Good luck with school!”
“Yes!”
“Ooi! Good morning!”
It’s Goda!
Lately, he’s been going out fishing with this party.
“Huh? Shunsuke, morning.”
“Morning, Goda. Do your best today too.”
“Yep. Seems like squid today.”
“Squid! Awesome! Can’t wait! I’ll cook dinner!”
“Alright! We’re off then!”
“See you later!
Everyone, be careful and have a good trip!”
Waving to the fishing boat, I return to the sandy beach, still in my sneakers.
It’s six kilometers back to the mansion. I interfere with the gravity on the soles of my feet.
Okay, I’m floating about 30 cm above the sand. At this height, even if I fall, I won’t get hurt, right?
I put my dominant foot forward to balance.
It feels like standing on a surfboard, bracing against the air.
“Hey.” I call the wind spirit, the yellow girl.
“Roger that, Prince. Go for it!”
Riding the wind, I glide horizontally, 30 cm above the ground.
“Woo-hoo! This is fun! Amazing!”
“Eek! Eek! Prince, so fast!”
It seems the spirit is clinging to the area around my neck.
I can’t feel any sensation, just a tiny presence.
“Alriight!”
Partway through, I activate my own wind magic to increase my speed.
“But, it’s coold!”
I instinctively hug my arms and lean forward. That pose must be good, as my speed increases further.
“Whoa!”
Ah, I’m here!
I stop suddenly, lose my balance, and…
Thump
…dive into the sand.
“Pteh! Got sand in my mouth.”
Failed the landing. But I managed to get back in just over a minute.
I need to practice landing.
Lying sprawled on the sand, I reflect on my failure.
“Hey, what are you doing, Shunsuke?”
“Ah, Ulisa-nii.”
He grabs my arm and helps me up.
“After making us worry so much yesterday, and then this?”
Ah, right, it was Ulisa-nii who brought my elf-self back yesterday, wasn’t it?
“My apologies for causing you concern.”
“Tch. Well, as long as you’re fine.
Huh? You’re way too cold.”
Ulisa-nii’s gaze falls on my arm, which he’s holding.
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s gotten pretty cold, after all.”
“Let’s go for a morning bath.”
“Yes!”
Since it was only a 6km run one way today, I still have time.
“I wonder if there’s any milk.”
“Even if you drink that much, your height won’t increase right away, you know.”
“I know that~”
Today, I’m supposed to work on my assignment at the library.
I’m feeling satisfied with myself, gradually becoming more like a magician.
*** Bonus ***
Ulisa: “Hey, have you gotten somewhat better at swimming? If you’re gonna help with fishing, you need to practice.”
Goda: “Shunsuke gave me a jacket that inflates when you pull the cord!
I’m mainly in charge of casting the net and pulling the lines for the mermaids.”
Ulisa: “…As long as you’re not holding everyone back, fine.”
