Book 3 Chapter 13
**Chapter 62**
"To be frank with you. With your current skill, young lady, I don't think you'll be able to walk even after decades."
Tutor, Week 6.
As always, after a brief magic lesson, Cassena Page, who was about to look into the astronomical telescope, flinched and turned back around.
"What?! How can that be!"
"It is."
"No, that can't be. I'll work hard starting today. I'll do whatever you tell me to do. So—"
"—This isn't something that can be achieved by just working hard. It seems I overestimated your talent, young lady."
"Then what?! Am I, am I, supposed to just live like this for the rest of my life? Liar! You said you'd make me walk."
Rain observed Cassena for a moment. Though she seemed audacious, she wasn't without a tender nature; her face already looked like she was about to cry.
"Please listen to what I have to say until the end. That's only 'with your current skill, young lady,' mind you."
"……?"
"From now on, I'll give you some help. First, why don't you take off that skirt?"
Before I could even react, a book flew and stuck into my forehead. It was exceptional psychokinesis.
"You show up covered in bandages from head to toe and start spouting nonsense out of nowhere, you lunatic!"
"With this level of psychokinesis, you'd master it even faster than me."
"What?"
I rolled up my pant leg to show Cassena. Cassena alternated between looking at the *jugeok* carved on my leg and my eyes with a bewildered expression.
"What is this…?"
"I promised you, didn't I? That I'd make you walk again."
Cassena's eyes trembled for a moment. Perhaps unable to speak, only a faint breath escaped her lips.
"If you're playing a trick, you'll get hit."
"It's real."
"What is it…?"
"It's called *jugeok*. By carving it into the body, it controls the power of the magic applied to the body."
*Yun* (奫), makes the flow of magic applied to the body as smooth as water.
*Ha* (霞), alleviates or nullifies central commands that could overload the body.
*Ju* (柱), transforms magic applied to the body into a conditionally permanent state.
These are the *jugeok* I experimentally carved on both my legs. It took quite a long time to research and understand these runes.
'Carving *jugeok* into the body has to be done with a carving stylus, so it hurt a lot…'
Still, if successful, it would completely eliminate the risks, so the pain was bearable.
"The central magic square is in the shape of a pentagon, and the rune to be carved is *Roe* (擂). It imbues electric magic with a rubbing property."
There was only one task. Could all the joints of the lower body, which required the most delicate adjustment, be moved?
"Try moving your hand."
"?"
"The sensation of moving your hand, that's a command sent through the nervous system."
"Uh… and?"
"We're replacing that with magic. The rune we're using is *Roe* (擂). It's a rune that gives only electromagnetic wave stimulation, less dangerous than simple electric current."
Suddenly, a magic square appeared on my palm. When I shattered it, my left foot instantly bent, from big toe to little toe, in sequence.
"Like this. I stimulated the nerves with magic to move it."
Cassena's face turned white.
With a tongue barely managed, she spoke, as if biting her lips.
"If I do that, can I, I… can I walk?"
"Of course. Why else would I be covered in wounds all over my body?"
Assuming the caster was disabled, I even tried blocking the nerves coming from the central nervous system and then moving my hand with psychokinetic waves. It was possible.
"Since even the most complex fingers can be moved, legs won't be a problem."
Cassena looked half-convinced, half-doubtful… but the corners of her mouth kept twitching with a smile born of hope.
"So… I have to take off my skirt?"
"It's a delicate process, so it will take about two or three hours. It would be dangerous if you were to twist your body unnecessarily, young lady, so for my convenience, I will bind you with magic."
Cassena stared blankly at me, then clenched her fists.
"No, you can't! I'm still anxious! I'll be still!"
"Anyway, it's not like I'll get excited seeing your naked body, young lady."
"What?!"
Hmm, what's that expression? I can't tell if she's relieved or angry at this remark.
"I need to work while observing the body's circuits through Bell Sidius. Anyway, all I see are magic circuits, nothing else."
"Ugh…"
"Are your worries somewhat eased now?"
"Shut up! If you do anything weird, I'll instantly make you impotent!"
After a moment of hesitation, Cassena blushed and carefully began to take off her skirt.
"Look… over there…"
In the past, even such a task would have required a maid, but now that she can use psychokinesis, she can simply lift her legs with psychokinesis, so there's no problem.
"You're not carving it on my butt too… are you?"
"I'll do it from the hip joint to the ankle bone. Finally, I'll draw a circular formation near the spine."
"Alright…"
I heated the stylus with fire.
Sitting to the right of Cassena, who was in the chair, I held her emaciated legs and concentrated.
I had to be careful and calm. Not even the slightest mistake could be made with *jugeok*.
"Ah…!"
"Don't make strange noises."
"You, you're the one who did it hard!"
Cassena's hot breath reached even this far.
Is it that painful?
But from experience, itchiness is harder to bear than this kind of pain. It's better to do it strongly.
"Aah…!"
"Don't twist your body."
"Ah, it hurts…!"
"Bear with it."
"J-just a little gentler…!"
"Like this? Is this good?"
"Uh, yeah… this is perfect now…"
There's a saying, *obi-irak* (烏飛梨落). It's a proverb that means 'when a crow flies, a pear falls,' implying an accidental correlation, and it seems to apply frequently.
"Young lady, what is this sound?"
It was Cassena's governess. One of the four people allowed to enter this room.
So, the middle-aged woman who opened the door and entered could immediately see.
Her precious young lady in her underwear in front of a strange man…
"Uh…"
The governess's eyes spun, and the next moment, she tried to smash Rain's head with the lamp she was carrying.
"W-wait a minute!"
"It's not like that, don't!"
"Young lady?!"
"So, this is… first, let's close the door and talk!"
"……?"
"You must keep this a secret. This is a secret just for the three of us."
After hearing a brief explanation from Cassena, the governess covered her mouth with both hands. Tears glistened in her eyes.
"The young lady… can walk again?"
"Yes. So, please help us."
"Of course, of course! Truly, I don't know how to thank you enough…"
"Then, if anyone sees this scene, please assert my innocence, and perhaps tell the young lady some old stories or something."
"Old stories?"
"It means to divert her focus. Oh, and keep wiping away the blood."
The governess tightly grasped Cassena's hand, which was tear-stained from the incessant pain.
"Young lady, let's go again… You used to run around so happily in <Sage's Square>, didn't you?"
"Yeah…"
"Let's go together again, walking on your own feet, young lady. And you'll go to <Delaiten> too…!"
As the governess told various stories from the past, the work became much easier. It was also a time to learn about Cassena's past.
How long did that take?
When I wiped the sweat from my brow, Cassena's legs were covered with *jugeok* as if tattooed, and the floor was soaked with sweat and blood droplets.
"Please get me some disinfectant."
While the governess took out the disinfectant, I looked at Cassena. Perhaps from enduring the pain, tears welled up in her eyes.
"Did it hurt?"
"Hmph! It didn't hurt at all, you know?!"
Useless pride…
A child is a child.
"It's a relief to hear that. Now, try activating the *jugeok* magic square near your spine with your hand."
Just as Logan lightly activated the secret text of the Chaihak School with magic, this magic square I created can also be activated by infusing it with magic.
"Since the range of magic is controlled by *jugeok*, no matter what you do, only your legs will move. You won't get hurt."
Cassena nodded.
The hope of being able to walk seemed to instantly push away the fear.
Soon, she closed her eyes, placed her hand on the magic square, and activated the magic.
'Please don't fail…'
I swallowed dryly.
The runes drawn on Cassena's body began to flicker blue.
"……!"
"……!"
"……!"
All three of us gaped blankly. Because nothing had happened.
Her legs didn't move.
Instead, the strength drained from my legs. A failure? I swallowed a blank gulp, and tears streamed down Cassena's eyes.
"……"
I felt truly sorry. Giving hope and then taking it away, I didn't know how to apologize. It was my first time experiencing such a situation. That's when it happened.
"It moved…"
"Huh?"
"It moved, it moved, Rain! My pinky toe, my toe moved…!"
What did she say…?
Cassena was definitely crying.
Yes, her eyes were shedding tears and she was crying… but her expression was smiling.
"Look, look at this!"
It was true. Did she lack confidence, so she gave the weakest stimulation? The governess sobbed and embraced Cassena.
"Young lady, young lady…!"
"I, now, can walk again soon, I can walk…!"
"Of course, you will!"
"So until then… don't tell Mom or Dad! Understood?"
"Yes, yes!"
She'll be able to walk soon. Because the *jugeok* technique has psychokinetic assistance features.
Of course, she'll need tremendous rehabilitation exercises to regain muscle in her legs and walk like an ordinary person.
'Well, let's worry about that later.'
For now, let's sincerely applaud my achievement and Cassena's future, and then excuse myself from this place.
"Rain!"
As I turned to leave, thinking they should have some private time, Cassena called out.
I tilted my head and turned around, and I could only stare blankly as Cassena, hesitant and blushing, said this:
"Truly, truly… thank you…"
Ah, she smiled. With a dazzling smile, even more dazzling than on the first day.
Perhaps it was because of that expression.
When I first learned and used magic from Aunt Dean, I was told I made that same expression. Tureina was the same.
'Did I want to see that expression in others again?'
Because Aunt Dean told me to become such a person?
No, that's not it.
Rain deliberately didn't smile.
Because he thought this wasn't something to laugh along with. This was merely part of a contract; he had received something, so he simply gave something in return.
"There's no need to thank me. I contracted with the Chancellor to do this."
Still, even so, he couldn't deny the feeling that the fatigue from roughly a month of hard labor seemed to melt away with that one smile.
"For your information, I won't be coming anymore. My job is done."
"Huh? What? Why, wait!"
"To constantly maintain that power, you'll need to accumulate a lot of magic, so it will be a stimulus for yourself. And it would be much better for you, young lady, to learn directly from the Chancellor rather than from me."
He didn't say anything wrong.
Just as he had learned more from his aunt and grandfather than from any tutor, it was right for Cassena to learn from Madelia.
The deal with the Chancellor and the promise with Cassena could be considered finished at this point. It was time to use his time for himself again.
"And I absolutely detest looking after children."
"What?! Hey!"
He lightly brushed off Cassena's attempt to retort with a gesture and descended the long staircase of the tower.
'Well, it was just part of a deal… but I guess it's okay to be a little happy at a time like this, Auntie?'
Thus, without even realizing it, the boy took another step closer to the truth today.
Socrafres.
- Can inherit the progress of 'unique magic' research from the surrounding environment.
- Progress 45.3% → 47.9%.
Without knowing why his steps back to the dormitory were light as if flying, without realizing the memory of the day he left the magic tower came to mind.
- That when he returned, he would be a wonderful adult who could share the light of magic with others.
Then his steps paused for a moment.
Come to think of it, where did it go?
The straw hat that Aunt Dean gave him as a gift… Tureina always treasured it and carried it with her, but now that she's deceased, where could it be kept?
'If I can get it, I definitely have to try and find it.'