NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29 - Episode 29: Practice of Magic and Mastery of Attributes
Episode 29: Practice of Magic and Mastery of Attributes
It feels good to be able to use magic freely in a wide space. I realized it’s better to reduce the five high-pressure washing beams, which have loose control, to three and create a film of water near myself.
When the dirt splattered by the high-pressure washing hits the water film, it makes it harder for my clothes to get dirty. Also, it prevents subtle pain from fragments of stones that occasionally hit me when they break apart.
Given the poor initial condition, it was said that it’s okay even if it breaks, so I tried using hydrogen peroxide, alkaline water, acidic water, and ozone water. Hydrogen peroxide seems effective against dirt, but blowing away the dirt with high-pressure washing is still quicker.
I’ve heard that disinfectant is good for cleaning tombstones, but it’s probably not a high-pressure washing environment, and besides, if there’s so much accumulated soil, it might not have much effect.
Since I can control water with magic, I tried various things other than high-pressure washing.
“”
I create a large amount of water in the air and manipulate it. I swirl it around. The surface is rippling, but it’s hard to see because it looks transparent.
“”
With high-pressure washing, moss and soil fly around, making me quite dirty.
It seems that just the water film barrier isn’t enough for practice, as quite a bit of dirt still flies around, although it’s somewhat improved. I still can’t change out of the protective clothing. While whirlpool magic can remove dirt, high-pressure washing magic still cleans better. However, since I’m not continuously releasing water, the consumption is lower. But it feels like it takes more time because it’s difficult to control and the dirt doesn’t come off easily. Once the water is muddy and thick with dirt, it’s difficult to manipulate.
“Frim, it’s mealtime!”
“Yes.”
Lord Bursa comes here twice a day to deliver meals. Although I want to ask for three meals, the number of meals here is quite random. Whether two meals or three meals is normal may
depend on one’s status. “If there’s no surplus, you don’t get anything,” is quite common if you’re of low status.
Still, I never go hungry. Bread and fruit are left in excess so that I can snack anytime… Perhaps to prevent me from being tempted by sweets, they even bring candies sold in town.
Candies wrapped in lovely fabric in a basket made of ivy.
It might look elegant if brought by a cute girl, but when it’s carried by the muscular, mafia-like Lord Bursa, it seems like it might contain something dangerous.
“By the way, have you seen the head of the Druggen family’s house?”
“He’s busy. Until recently, the royal castle was a battlefield, so there’s been no time for repairs.”
“Could you please tell me more?”
“Isn’t it a well-known story… Well, it was a few years ago, so maybe it was before you were born.”
A few years ago, there was apparently a power struggle for the throne here, resulting in a fight in the castle itself, where attacks with magic destroyed it.
“Who do they think will fix it…”
Despite the resentment in his voice, the Druggen family has been very busy with repairs to the castle and various other places in recent years. It seems that Lord Bursa is absent because of the busy repair work.
“What kind of king is the current king?”
“Huh? He was showcasing at the festival the other day, and he did quite well, didn’t he?”
It seems like he showcased something, like a statue or something?
“I couldn’t come because the gambling den was busy.”
“Well, that can’t be helped.”
Lord Bursa, who is munching on the few candies from the town, is he fond of sweets?
It’s a candy that tastes like melted sugar poured over unsweetened cookies. The sweetness seeps into you, but the excessively thick sweet part is hard to bite through. I reluctantly put it in my mouth, but it’s so sweet and has such a peculiar taste that it feels like licking a chunk of sugar.
“He’s still young, but not a bad king. He understands the world’s principles well.”
Ultimately, the succession to the throne, which resulted in many deaths, was settled by the king’s words.
“Each may have their own beliefs, but what happens when you seize power! You drive out others and crush each other! What will remain in this country afterwards!! Regardless of the attribute, this country needs it, but the people from each family have decreased! Even if only my family remains in the end, it won’t be the same as before! By that time, each family’s belongings will have decreased, and in the end, we’ll be plundered by neighboring countries!! Do you understand that much!!!”
With a puffed-up nose, Lord Bursa imitates the king’s manner of speaking.
Maybe he’s a fan… No, perhaps a devout follower.
“Wow~”
“With that said, the war came to an end. By that time, several borders were under attack, and people from all houses must have woken up. Well, when it comes to the aftermath, we, the Druggen family, which is made of earth and stone, are being called upon…”
Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask. It’s probably an important matter in the study material of this country.
“How many Grand Masters of the Four Great Attributes are there? It’s not just four, right?”
The number of names of houses that appear in the grimoires is clearly numerous. The answer might be written as I continue reading, but it might become necessary here where I work.
“You’re studying well. There is one representative family known as the Grand Master for each attribute. There are several families competing for that seat. As for the houses competing for the Grand Master title, currently, there are three for fire, four for wind, one for water… and two for earth.”
Noble families are representative-level families of the nation, and among them, the Grand Masters are chosen.
I learned this from the grimoire. Although there are differences in each country, the basic attributes are similar. There’s a custom where the top forces of each country showcase their abilities, and it’s said to be necessary to select representatives for each attribute.
There was an explanation in the Druggen family’s garden that the statue, which didn’t need washing, belongs to another family of the earth attribute. It’s kind of petty, isn’t it…?
Being a representative is an honorable thing, and each family aims for that position because they also receive money from the country.
“Is there only one for water?”
“There used to be four, but one was lost in a civil war, one in a border war, two decreased due to too much fire running wild in the family, resulting in marriage, and they merged into one.”
“I see. That’s quite different from what the grimoire says.”
“That’s because it’s recent.”
Even so, noble society is dangerous… It’s scary how wars and civil wars happen just because the government changes.
Whether Frim-chan originally came from a traveling mage, a commoner, or one of those houses, I don’t know, but it’s a story worth asking about.
The grimoire often described differences in performance based on attributes.
Fire can emit flames, and wind can achieve high-speed movement by propelling their entire body. That’s why they display terrifying power on the battlefield and the casters are hard to kill.
Earth can create walls, and in prolonged battles, no one can break through those walls.According to the grimoire, the main Druggen family is said to have built a fortress on top of a mountain…
And water is not suitable for combat. It has less range and slower projectile speed than fire or wind. Also, while not as much as earth, it requires a lot of magic power to produce water, making it weak in combat.
I wonder if it’s like this? Wind is a gas, fire is plasma, water is liquid, and earth is solid… Maybe these factors also affect the amount of magic power used, the range of effectiveness, and the speed of deployment.
Fire has excellent range and killing power, making it unbeatable in combat. Wind apparently lacks direct killing power, but if it’s in front of your eyes, you won’t be able to stand. Earth attributes can throw rocks or something… Water can’t defend against that.
So, you might think that people with water attributes should just stay out of conflicts, but apparently, it didn’t work out that way.
Water attributes can provide essential drinking water for people’s lives, and it’s necessary for high-ranking nobles… Many of them died from poison or attacks by enemies, right? Moreover, because of the fires during the civil war, water mages were called upon, or they died from stray bullets? That’s why the number of water mages decreased, even though they didn’t engage in combat. Lord Bursa seems reluctant to say it.
Nowadays… apparently, they are treated kindly even by other attributes… That’s understandable.
…Huh? Is there a chance I could be protected by the country?
—No, there isn’t. It’s a country full of political struggles. There’s no guarantee of life, and I have no backing, so I would be used up and discarded.