'Holy power is draining out of my fingertips.'
I could feel holy power seeping out of the staff gripped in my hand.
The letters of Lightening had not faded in the slightest.
The Demonbane Bottle that dispatched Aileen back then had definitely been consumable.
The shock I felt at the time was still vivid.
-Divine power hasn't gone down at all either?
'Wow, we've escaped the consumable model.'
The time I inscribed letters after the holy power crystal formed was to purify the black magic circle on the Saint's pendant.
That time the circle and the letters vanished together, so I never noticed.
-Back then you were squeezing out divine power and holy power you didn't have, weren't you. Isn't this because there's plenty now?
That tracks.
The letters holding divine power stayed exactly as they were, and only the holy power drained out.
'Aha. So that's why it worked back then.'
When I recited the prayer at the Baptism Rite and drew in divine power.
Holy power or divine power, so long as I can draw a force in, the power inscribed in the letters isn't consumed.
Elly could vanish, so I can't go drawing recklessly on her divine power.
'It would be good to have a way to draw Elysian's divine power comfortably.'
That would double the destructive force.
Well, say what you like about it.
'I have an engine called a holy power crystal now, so I am not who I was!'
While I was rejoicing at the realization, the astonishment on the other side of the room continued.
“The newspaper, in one stroke!”
I don't know what artistry he worked on the staff.
That a child who has not yet learned body technique swung a staff that cleanly is astonishing in itself.
And yet the newspaper he threw into the air was cut in a single pass.
With a staff, no less, and not a sword.
-Your skill really is intact.
'Naturally. You have no idea what I went through learning it.'
-Thanks to me.
Indeed it is.
In the past, when I was taught the staff by Elly, my spirit-sight hadn't opened, so I went through every hardship there is.
She would teach me through dreams first, and after that I trained alone, rolling around on the ground.
If something displeased her during training, things would come flying, or I would go down, and it was chaos.
'Can't afford to roll twice.'
Elly's teaching method was quite Spartan.
“How could he have body technique like this...”
Leilaik murmured as though unable to believe it.
What astonished him above all.
'My son is a natural at body technique?'
He himself had two left feet.
Above all, at home they had never taught the boy any serious body technique or weapon skill.
Basic physical conditioning alone could never produce body technique like that.
And from his own son, no less!
'That this is a five-year-old's body technique.'
He could not help being genuinely astonished.
Merely having athletic reflexes would have been surprising, but Lian looked exactly like a thoroughly practiced staff master.
'Clerics born with body technique are rare.'
No — however naturally gifted at body technique, nobody handles it that skillfully before being taught.
On top of which, clerics generally have weak innate physical ability.
Compared even to mages who polish their mana, clerics come off worse at body technique.
'Could this body technique be yet another blessing received from Lord Elysian?'
Talent and blessing worthy of the name of prophet.
He was not even enrolled at the academy yet, and there was no gauging how far he might grow.
“Lian clearly takes after both of us! Body technique this brilliant!”
What woke Leilaik out of his thoughts was Lilliad.
Her eyes were shining.
“Ahem, hmm... dear? If he took after me, I think he would have spun the staff, hit himself in the head and passed out...”
“I'm sorry? What was that?”
Lilliad smiled a smile of unnatural radiance and asked again.
“Ah, no... ahem. It was nothing. Dear...”
Leilaik quietly shrank back.
“Heh heh heh. Lian, Mother will have a staff made that fits you exactly.”
Yesss! I got it!
Something seemed to happen to Father partway through.
But either way, I secured the staff!
“You want the inside hollowed out?”
“Yes. As for the shape...”
I sketched it out, matching the one I used to use as closely as I could.
Explaining with a drawing made it easy to get across.
“It will take about a month for the staff to be made. Have you thought about anything else you would like to learn in the meantime?”
“Something else?”
“Mm. Condemnation, for example... or condemnation?”
She beamed.
Ahahaha...
'Mother still hasn't let go of the Inquisitor dream...'
The Condemnation line has outstanding exorcistic power against anything that carries demonic energy.
I do intend to learn it, of course.
'But I can't become an Inquisitor.'
Ahem. I cleared my throat and gave the answer I'd prepared in advance.
“I'd like to try learning holy magic.”
“Oh! Holy magic. Good, very good!”
Father, who had gone quiet for a while, picked up the thread.
Come to think of it, I remember Father being quite good at holy magic himself.
“You have talent in the Manifestation line, so you should be able to learn it easily.”
“Yes, Father!”
My heart was pounding.
'At last... a fantasy technique!'
-So what were the techniques you've used up to now, then, if not fantasy.
'Talismans are Eastern fantasy and this is Western fantasy.'
-Good grief. Fine.
Elly's voice was a little sulky, probably because staff training was pushed back until the staff was made.
But I was thoroughly excited at being able to learn holy magic.
'Might as well take a taste of each while I'm at it!'
And so I began learning holy magic.
“Hmmm...”
“...”
“Well, that's strange. Why isn't it working?”
Leilaik tilting his head, at a loss.
And me, frozen in shock.
'Father definitely said I would learn it easily...'
Why... why is it?
Holy magic is harder than I expected.
***
I attended the theory lesson on holy magic and went straight into practical work.
The theory had nothing much difficult about it.
The concept of Manifestation is taking what you picture in your head and realizing it in reality using holy power.
That was all.
Which is to say.
'Your imagination has to be good.'
-Lian, your imagination isn't great.
'I didn't expect it to still be bad after being born again.'
-The soul is the same. What were you expecting?
So having talent only means having potential.
And whether or not you handle it well comes down to aptitude?!
'That's a scam!'
“Th-there... Lian. It's only natural for it to be hard the first time, isn't it? Come on, let's try again slowly.”
Father, sweating profusely, began awkwardly consoling me.
Following Father's instruction once more, I shut my eyes to build a fireball and called up the image in my head.
'A fireball... a fireball. I've seen plenty of them in games.'
Round and round. A small sphere of flame took shape in my head.
I opened my eyes and tried to realize the shape with holy power.
Whooo—
“Ooh...!”
The flame gathers. Small, a little at a time.
And then.
Pshhhh—
It comes apart.
'No! Why!'
Father's fireball, meanwhile, was round and perfect.
“The fire manifests, but it doesn't hold together.”
Exactly.
My fire wouldn't gather; it scattered.
I had a rough idea why.
'I think it's because my brain is a modern brain.'
Unconsciously, I decide it couldn't possibly be scientifically feasible.
Because it's fantasy!
'Nooooo, this is absurd!'
-Good grief. I knew this would happen.
However many times I tried, the result was the same.
***
At that hour.
A forest on the outskirts of the Esrian Kingdom.
Lionel Rondoa lowered the sword he had been swinging with his eyes closed.
“Young master. Do come in now. The sun will set soon.”
“...Yes. I'll come in.”
Rondoa wiped away his sweat with the towel his attendant handed him, looked around for a moment, and clicked his tongue.
'Still no progress.'
Only a week and a few days had passed since the Baptism Rite.
But Lionel felt impatient.
'Not even in a place this full of nature's essence.'
He had deliberately come as far as the Forest of Ern, said to hold an elven village. And still there was no reaction.
Lionel recalled the blond boy he had met at the Baptism Rite.
And the one who had been beside him...
He shook his head shortly.
'That is a last resort.'
He sheathed the sword and followed his attendant.
There was still a great deal of time before enrollment at the academy.
***
The holy magic practicals were eventually suspended.
Father evidently concluded that my theoretical study was insufficient.
“Holy magic can normally be realized directly through Manifestation, but only within your specialty talent. Ordinarily, though, realizing it through a holy magic circle is the basic method.”
Father drew a pattern on paper, something between a drawing and a set of symbols.
Letters and geometric designs packed inside a round circle.
'Ooooh...'
I feel oddly as though I'm going to have to perform an equivalent exchange.
While I let out an admiring noise, Father cleared his throat and continued his explanation.
“A holy magic circle is especially sensitive, so if there is the slightest error, its power drops.”
“By how much?”
“Depending on the error, anywhere from one-tenth to nine-tenths.”
Huh.
If it drops by nine-tenths, isn't that just unusable?
Looking closely at Father's drawing, the thickness of the lines was perfectly even, without a single wobble.
“If Manifestation is difficult, you can start by drawing a holy magic circle and activating it. Working from that, manifesting should be a little easier.”
According to Father, the shape of the magic each person realizes differs.
So you have to find the shape best optimized for you to realize.
Generally, those with talent in Manifestation realize it in that shape instinctively.
'But I can't, is what he's saying...'
The point being that to find my own shape, drawing a magic circle and realizing it is the most accurate route.
“Now then, shall you try drawing one?”
“Yes!”
I gripped the fountain pen with confidence.
I decided to try drawing them in order, starting from a small size.
The truth is, drawing is something I'm fairly confident about.
'A talisman is, when you get down to it, a drawing.'
My talismans in particular had power unlike other people's.
The reason being an exact shape without a hair's breadth of error!
'It's been a while since I got to show off.'
Working talisman arts with holy power isn't easy, since it also requires the skill to handle holy power.
But merely drawing a picture on paper was easy.
Scritch scritch—
I moved my hand as though copying the magic circle Father had drawn.
“Well now...”
An admiring sigh spilled out, but it didn't reach my ears.
There were more shapes to draw than in a talisman, so I put my whole heart into it.
“I'm finished.”
The small magic circle was completed in no time.
Leilaik's eyes went wide as he examined the paper Lian had drawn.
“There is nothing to fault.”
Heh heh. My skill hasn't died yet after all!
Leilaik's face broke into a broad smile.
Now all that was left was to breathe holy power into it.
-It's almost perfect, so don't worry!
Elly looked the magic circle over and checked it meticulously.
'Come to think of it, you used to inspect my talismans too...'
If a talisman displeased her, it would go up in flames and vanish.
Drawing skill forged by Elly's Spartan education!
Ssssss—
As I let holy power flow in, the holy magic circle began to shine, starting from its outer edge.
And when at last the light had filled all the way to the center.
FWOOSH!
A fireball the size of a small fist formed in midair.
“It's... perfect!”
Clap clap clap—!
Leilaik shot to his feet and applauded.
The truth was that he had been beside himself when Lian, so brimming with talent, could not realize holy magic properly.
Holy magic has excellent applicability, so most people learn it regardless of talent.
But Lian had talent in Manifestation and still could not realize it properly, so worry was inevitable.
'To draw a holy magic circle this perfectly!'
More than that, the fireball realized through the holy magic circle was perfect.
The fireball boasted an absurd density.
'At this level it's better than the ones I make?'
A holy magic circle is a combination of genuinely fine elements, so if it is disturbed even slightly, proper power does not come out.
The holy magic circles Leilaik made were famous even among clerics for their fearsome power.
'He surpasses me?'
Perhaps this was Lian's true talent.
“Withdraw the holy power you breathed in and the magic dissolves; specify a direction and it flies that way.”
Aha.
So that's the mechanism.
“Let's dissolve this fireball for now. We can try throwing one during outdoor practicals.”
I scattered the holy power and the fireball dispersed at once.
“Do you think you could realize it without a holy magic circle?”
“I'm not sure.”
The fireball had been made splendidly.
Its power was surely respectable too.
But having to realize the whole thing in my head was another matter.
I closed my eyes and thought of the fireball from a moment ago.
Opening my eyes, and realizing it.
'Got it!'
Success.
“Hmm.”
But Father's expression is odd.
“The magic circle's power is far above this.”
“Ah...”
Looking again, it was plainly different from the solid density of a moment ago.
“Magic made with a holy magic circle is generally sturdier. It's only that making one that perfectly is close to impossible.”
Theoretically the holy magic circle's power is vastly higher.
But when an actual person performs it, that isn't achievable, is what he meant.
“Still, Lian, drawing and using them would be the more efficient route for you.”
“Would it?”
“It would. A magic circle can be drawn and carried about, after all.”
Ah!
Of course!
'Huh? Then doesn't that work?'
Drawing a magic circle onto a glove and firing a fireball, say?
-Lian, please live in reality...
'No, why! I think it'd work, wouldn't it?'
Don't crush my dream!