Chapter 151: Magical Talent and a Genius’s Clumsiness

"Ah, that’s right. Search for a convenient star. Search for a star Hiroyuki seems able to move with magic."

While concentrating my nerves I searched for a convenient star.

Because I was not looking directly I did not know the form, but I could somehow vaguely tell the positions of stars.

Once I get used to it that becomes clear, apparently, but for me still the first time it only looks vague.

Among those I searched while grasping size from the vague outlines.

If too small it burns up before reaching the surface.

If too large I cannot move it.

After setting a certain aim I tangled the thread of magic and confirmed the size.

...Un, this one is good.

A little small, but well, it should be fine.

No basis, but it seems compatible somehow.

I tangled the thread of magic on the star I marked and began slowly pulling.

...Un, after all it is easy to pull.

Now then, I’ll put momentum on it...

"Wait, wait a moment!"

Just as I was about to, Sophia put a halt.

"What’s wrong?"

"...Hey, let’s calm down for now. Un, calm down."

What are you saying? The one who should calm down is Sophia, right?

"Ah, ah."

I answered for now without that retort.

"E-etto... th-that’s right, un, well, for now return the star Hiroyuki moved to its original position? Un, that’s first. Un."

As Sophia instructed I pushed the moved star back to its original position.

"...Tto. Is this fine."

"Th-that’s right. Un, that’s fine. Th-then slowly, slowly is fine, return the thread of magic."

"Eh? If that one is no good another star..."

"Just return it!"

Sophia interrupted my words and shouted.

"Ah, ah. Understood."

I shrank the stretched thread and recovered it.

"Fuu."

When I took it all into my body I sighed.

Un, I have to concentrate quite a bit.

When I slowly opened the eyes I had closed to make the image, Sophia’s angry face was in front of me.

"Dowa!"

"Not dowa! What were you thinking! Moving the sun!"

Sophia pressed me with a scary face.

Because she was angering an elf’s refined face it was even scarier.

Nn? The sun?

Did I move the sun? Me.

"No, I thought that one was just right. You said too small is no good. Because I could move it alone."

"...Fuu. Geez, why can you move the sun. Unbelievable..."

Even hearing my excuse Sophia did not answer and glared at me a while, then sighed and hung her head.

Well, if the sun fell it would be a disaster.

Not just castle walls. This star itself would evaporate and vanish.

"...Understood. Don’t use this magic anymore. Forbidden."

"Ah, ah. Understood."

I answered Sophia who pressed again.

"Hey, isn’t there other usable magic?"

I who thought I could use flashy magic attack but was told not to use it could not give up and asked Sophia if there was substitute magic.

"Nn, that’s right. Then how about the synonym of attack magic, ’Fireball’?"

Sophia crossed her arms, thought a little, and proposed that.

It has less impact than "Meteor Strike," but if you say it is magic-like it is magic-like.

"Un, good."

I also answered and decided to have her teach me "Fireball."

...

"W-wait a moment! Th-that’s right, that, that, etto, that’s it! Throw it upward!"

"Up?"

"Hurry!"

I faced up and as Sophia said threw upward the fireball that formed on my hand and grew larger than this royal capital.

No, rather than throw I made the "image" of throwing.

The fireball went high into the sky and grew small.

"Now! Explode it, ah, no, extinguish it!"

As Sophia rephrased I extinguished it without exploding.

Extinguishing is harder than exploding.

I have to gradually weaken the magic maintaining the fireball.

If I weaken too fast the fireball detonates.

"Fuu."

I sighed from using my nerves and turned my face that had been looking up to the front.

Then there Sophia with wrinkles between her brows had brought her face close enough to kiss.

"Uwah!"

"Not uwah! Can’t you hold back a little more?"

"Can’t attack magic not be held back?"

Attack magic is considered better the higher the attack power.

Therefore the construction of attack magic is not made to weaken power, apparently.

Conversely to strengthen you just increase the amount of magic or knead it denser, they say.

Well, there is a limit to that too, apparently.

"...That’s right. Fuu."

"...Hey, isn’t there something else?"

I begged Sophia who was pressing her head with her hand.

"...That’s right. What you can use now is ’Water Jet’ so something of the same lineage like ’Water Arrow’ would be good."

She looked at me sideways and answered as if offhand.

It’s not my fault.

No, it is my fault.

While hiding a dissatisfied hazy feeling in my chest I floated an image of water.

...

"...Failed again?"

"No, it should have succeeded..."

I wrapped magic imaged as water on my finger and drew the construction while chanting the spell.

"Water that is the source of life. Come forth from my fingertip and strike my enemy."

When I finished chanting the spell a lump of water appeared at my fingertip.

"Water Arrow!"

Then when I shouted that the lump of water vanished together with a high sound.

What remained was only a trail like a white cloud stretching about one meter from my fingertip.

"Hmm, after all is Hiroyuki incompatible with the water system."

Sophia crossed her arms and said something unexpected.

"Nn? What do you mean?"

For me who has used "Water Jet," which is only water blowing from the fingertip, as attack magic because the power is strong, I tilt my head.

"Hiroyuki has extremely good compatibility with fire and light. Conversely poor compatibility with water and darkness. I was surprised that the power of water-system magic you have poor compatibility with is on another order, but I think with attack magic where the difference in compatibility easily appears the water system is hard to succeed."

"I see."

Because a magic expert says so that is probably so, but.

What is that thing like a contrail stretching from the fingertip when the magic activates.

"...Isn’t there something I can break."

"What’s wrong?"

"Nn, somehow that thing like a contrail from the fingertip bothers me."

"Eh? Hiko... what?"

"Contrail. An airplane... wait, what’s an airplane? Anyway a single cloud forms, right?"

"Un, that’s right."

"So I wondered what happens if I block that."

"..."

Sophia made a subtle face.

"Anyway let’s experiment."

And so I brought a brick that was rolled at the edge of the garden.

"Hold this a moment."

"Eh? U-un. Ah, no, Yanica. Hold this."

I tried to ask Sophia, but Sophia herself foisted it on Yanica.

"Me? I don’t want to. Why me..."

"Ya-ni-ca."

"Hii! I-I got it. I just have to do it, right, I’ll do it."

Yanica cowed by Sophia wearing an archaic smile reluctantly consented.

Then she came to my side, received the brick from me, and held it sideways with both hands.

"Is this fine?"

"Ah, then..."

I left about fifty centimeters from there and released the "Water Arrow" magic.

"Water Arrow!"

"Kyaa!!"

At the same time the magic activated the brick Yanica held exploded into pieces.

Yanica raised a surprised voice.

"Uo!"

"Kya!"

I and Sophia also were surprised.

Oi oi, I thought it would just open a hole, but explode...

"Yanica. Are you all right?"

"...Eh? U-un. I’m fine... I think..."

Yanica sat down and answered me in a daze.

"Hiroyuki... what is this?"

Sophia pressed me with a scary face.

Well, because I tried to have Sophia do that.

"I never thought it would explode... ah, etto."

What Sophia wants to know is apparently that the brick exploded.

Rather than angry she seems to want to resolve the question.

"Nn, probably too fast... maybe?"

While standing Yanica I gave Sophia a simple explanation.

"Too fast?"

"Right. And because it is far too fast the water evaporated from friction."

"..."

Sophia twisted her neck.

"Does water evaporate from friction like that?"

"It seems to."

"..."

She does not seem convinced.

"That’s right. Nn, can you make it so water cannot evaporate?"

"Un, there is that kind of thing in spirit magic. Ah, you put that on the Water Arrow Hiroyuki created."

"Right."

Then water that does not evaporate should fly... I thought, but...

...

"...He-hey. What do we do with this?"

"Th-that’s right. What shall we do. Aha, ahaha."

In front of my eyes was the exploded house wall and the neighboring house that collapsed...

Beyond that a huge ditch was dug to the outside of the royal capital.

From the foot of the mountain visible far away sand smoke was rising.

...I’ll apologize to Helene later.

...

"It was truly good no one was injured."

Muriel looked at me sideways.

It was the way back from going to the castle to report to Helene and the others after investigating the damaged area together with the guards who flew over hearing the explosion.

"Ah, ah. That’s right. Ahaha."

I raised a dry laugh and answered Muriel.

The house I live in is close to the outside.

And in the direction I released "Water Arrow" no one lived, and there was almost no traffic, apparently.

Various coincidences piled up and not only no dead but no injured.

I was truly relieved from the bottom of my heart.

"However surprisingly there was no lecture from Helene."

"That’s natural. More than that Helene-sama’s face was pale."

Muriel told me as if fed up.

"Of course. Destroying a castle wall that would truly need strategic magic with a lower magic called ’Water Arrow.’ Of course she would be surprised."

Sophia also shrugged and spoke.

"That’s not all. She probably thought Master frightening."

"Me?"

"Yes. The lower magic Master released destroyed a castle wall. Even though durability magic is granted to that castle wall. Thinking such a Master frightening is natural. If as an enemy, that is."

"Then... is it bad? Helene told me not to go outside."

In other words she does not want to let me escape.

"Well, for now there is no inconvenience so let’s stay quiet."

I have also become well acquainted with Helene.

"But if something comes up I’ll leave. Even by force."

"At that time of course I will accompany you."

"Me too."

Muriel and Sophia agreed with my words.

"Then shall we go home."