Becca 「 You want to steal from the Baroness? Isn’t that your mother? 」

Cheshyr 「 I don’t know what you’re talking about. That woman is hardly a mother. 」

I’m beginning to sense some sort of family circumstances that I don’t want to set foot in.

Becca 「 I see. And how exactly are you going to do that? 」

Cheshyr 「 By kidnapping her daughter. 」

Becca 「 Her daughter? Do you mean you? 」

Cheshyr 「 No! I mean her youngest. My little sister, Alice. 」

That’s right, Mirenda did mention she had another daughter younger than Cheshyr. So Alice is her name? Must be getting somewhere then.

Becca 「 As expected of Mistress Cheshyr. So evil. 」

Cheshyr 「 I know right?! 」

It’s almost too easy to get information out of her. She sticks her chest out as if to boast that she is proud of being evil. It’s hard to take her seriously especially when I can’t help but compare her to my little sister.

Becca 「 What do you have against the Baroness? 」

Cheshyr 「 That woman, she fails to understand my grandeur. Always belittling me, fawning over Alice. Telling me to grow up and be the bigger sister. Like one as darkness reincarnate as I have the time for that! 」

Translation: she’s jealous of the attention her little sister gets. I bet that’s why she acts so outrageous, possibly a subconscious attempt at seeking attention from her mother.

Of course her mother didn’t quite understand this and assumes her daughter is actually evil, when in fact it’s more or less a phase. It actually makes sense when you consider her young age, at least in terms of long-lived races, is around a child’s.

So this kidnapping is motivated by jealousy and a desire to grab the mother’s full attention.

Cheshyr 「 Enough about that. Aren’t you in the middle of a test? 」

Becca 「 Ah, right. I almost forgot about that. 」

Cheshyr turns around the conversation before I can find out more.

Cheshyr 「 Don’t forget that so easily! Whatever. I’ve decided on the test. We will have a showdown, a contest of magics. You don’t look so tough so you’ll have to rely on magic to survive. Show me you have the necessary skill to battle against monsters and I will pass you. 」

Becca 「 Magic? I’m not sure I can do that well. 」

Cheshyr 「 You really aren’t from this country are you. Very well, that is what I am here for: guidance. Now, what part of magic are you struggling with? 」

Becca 「 Never used it before. 」

Cheshyr 「 That bad? 」

Cheshyr has a face that pities me. What can I say? Back on Earth the existence of magic was never proven.

Cheshyr 「 All right, I guess I’ll have to teach you from the beginning. Let’s see … 」

To summarize, magic is about utilizing the mana in the body and converting it to magic energy that exists in the atmosphere. Magic phenomena is about bending reality to your will and mind. The limits of magic have yet to be seen.

There are many theories surrounding spell casting, and generally it is believed that words hold power just as much as the imagination. Material conduits also exist to amplify spells and rituals can enable powerful reality altering spells.

Cheshyr 「 You got that? Mana is inside all things, and spells are what bring that energy out and turn it into magic. As long as you can shape the magic well, you can bring forth any result you desire. 」

The lesson over, Cheshyr demonstrates magic for me.

Cheshyr 「 Fireball. 」

With a fwoosh sound, a ball of fire erupts in the air above Cheshyr’s open hand. It’s like watching a magic trick in real life. To the people of this world I guess magic tricks are no different than real magic.

Cheshyr 「 You should have felt what mana is like. Now you try. Use a keyword to conjure an image of the spell you want to create and let the mana flow out of you. Any kind of magic that comes natural to you. 」

I close my eyes and concentrate to try out magic.

Becca 「 Fireball. 」

…

Nothing happens. Huh? Did I do it wrong? I repeat the word again but nothing happens. I don’t sense any magic stirring in me or anything happening in my palm. Cheshyr’s eyebrows raise in astonishment.

Now that I think about it, maybe there’s a physical difference from me and humans of this world. Perhaps mana doesn’t naturally exist inside me.

Magic is harder than I thought it would be.