| Author: Eltria | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: Mui | English Source: Re:Library |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | |
Perhaps inspired by Alfe, a genuine desire to work on the simplified formula surged within me.
After returning home, I borrowed a blank formula board and magical ink from my mother and decided to try creating a simplified formula. Since I wasn’t planning to show it to anyone, it seemed fitting to choose the most powerful creature I knew—the one I could easily imagine. In my case, it would be appropriate to depict the Black Dragon God Herdea, the main deity of the Black Dragon Religion.
I had seen it from a distance during my time as Glass during the Human-Demon War when the Black Dragon God fought against the demons.
Instead of imagining from scratch, relying on the memories I had actually seen with my own eyes could result in a considerably high-quality creation. The prospect of this made my curiosity itch.
Even if I ever wanted to summon it for real, I could always attribute it to the miracle of the Black Dragon God or something along those lines to deflect any questions.
With this in mind, I decided to create a simplified formula for the Black Dragon God, Herdea1.
In this country, where the Black Dragon Religion was worshiped, it seemed that a newtype character representing the Black Dragon God had already been created. This rune character, which combined the meanings of dragon, black, and god, was apparently used in Black Dragon Religion rituals and was quite well-known.
Just trying it out, using that character alone, summoned a Black Dragon God much smaller than I had imagined. The Dragon God, about the size of my palm, might be convenient for rituals, but it was a bit different from what I had in mind.
It seemed there was a limiter in place to prevent reckless summoning. First, I needed to remove that. It was more complicated than I thought, but that made it interesting.
Relying on my memory, I started listing the characteristics of the Black Dragon God. Sharp horns, wings soaring through the sky, the entire body covered in armor-like scales. The body of glossy jet black, standing on two legs with sharp claws on each limb—something along those lines.
Next, during the Human-Demon War, the Black Dragon God had unleashed purgatorial flames from its mouth to sweep away the demons. I’d like to try incorporating that as well.
The goal was to adapt my knowledge of simplified formulas to modern technology, and while at it, experimentally incorporate multiple magic functions into the summoning charm.
I combined the newtype rune characters with my knowledge.
“Thou art a dragon. Born from the primordial flames, the god of Arcadia. Descend from the dark skies and repel our threats.”
The spelling of the formula was a bit old-fashioned, but well, I wasn’t going to show it in class, so it should be fine. To include attack magic in this, it was better to make the formula activate by responding to the chant.
“With a thousand fangs, engrave despair upon thy form, and the blazing conflagration shall reduce all in this world to ashes.”
With this, in response to the chanting of the Flame Pillar spell, the Black Dragon God’s mouth should emit a pillar of flames.
Actually writing it turned out to be surprisingly uneventful. Once I grasped the knack of the newtype characters, it seemed trivial for me, someone with knowledge from a previous life.
◇◇◇
Two weeks after enrollment.
In Teacher Anais’ magic study class, it was time for team assignments. According to the teacher, the goal was to group students with similar levels to enhance their motivation. Certainly, for an appropriate learning plan, not only class divisions but also further refined team divisions would be necessary. It was evident that Alfe’s magical power was exceptionally high, and other classmates were starting to notice.
“Alfe, please team up with Leafa and fully demonstrate your abilities.”
“Yes!”
Teacher Anais smiled at me and Alfe. Although she praised us with relatively obscure words, Alfe seemed happier about being paired with me.
Indeed, envy from other students can be troublesome.
Even during the team assignments, I felt the jealous gazes from some students directed at us. I remembered receiving such looks from the Alchemy Society when I was Glass. While it might not be as much of an issue for children, it could be quite troublesome. I hope Alfe doesn’t face any harm from this…
“…That concludes the team assignments. Moving forward, I will assign tasks to each team, so be prepared.”
“Teacher, are the tasks the same for everyone?”
“As needed—meaning, it will be adjusted according to each of your abilities.”
“Doesn’t that mean it’s favoring those with high magical power?”
Open discontent surfaced, and the classroom’s attention shifted toward Alfe. Alfe, taken aback by the sudden hostile stares, displayed gestures as if seeking refuge behind my shadow.
“Forcing those with high abilities to match those who don’t is not rational. Moreover, tasks that don’t align with your own abilities bring unhappiness to everyone.”
Teacher Anais explained in a calm tone. Her stance, seeking clear rationality, showed no pretense.
Since our time at the affiliated kindergarten when Alfe and I became scholarship students, we have consistently been provided with an environment where we could focus solely on utilizing our abilities.
So, I agreed with the idea of strongly emphasizing that policy now that the differences in abilities have become apparent. However, whether this reasoning would resonate with children was another matter.
“…Demon girl…”
Among my classmates, the largest boy glared at Alfe and muttered.
“Huh…”
Alfe heard that quiet mutter, her eyes widened in shock, and she covered her ears.
“Haha! Got it right, huh? Those weird eyes are proof, you’re a demon girl2!”
A surge of anger rose, making every hair on my body stand on end. Alfe’s Pure Eye was definitely not demon-derived, and there was no way such a good child could be a demon. Even though he had never seen a real demon, he was throwing unbelievable insults around. That’s how children could be, showering you with unwarranted insults without any basis.
“…”
Driven by anger, I involuntarily stood up. Alfe grabbed the hem of my clothes with trembling hands.
“Leafa, no…”
Alfe shook her head. She probably realized that I was angry. But for some reason, I couldn’t contain my anger.
“…Retract your statement.”
What brought me back to my senses was the quiet voice of Teacher Anais. Yet, it conveyed a frightening tone, indicating that she was more furious than me.
“… Teacher, why? It’s just a kid’s joke!”
Whether the boy didn’t perceive Teacher Anais’ anger or deliberately attempted to justify himself, he retorted. The teacher confronted the student with a resolute attitude, and she didn’t yield.
“That is something the forgiving side would say. Making derogatory remarks using that as a shield is not acceptable.”
“…Ugh…I-I’m sorry.”
The boy apologized, his trousers crumpled from being tightly held, but he didn’t raise his head to look at Alfe.
Though it was a perfunctory apology, Teacher Anais managed to defuse the situation for the moment, and the class resumed.
Nevertheless, in the intervals between classes, whispers and rumors about Alfe’s Pure Eye persisted. The envy swirling around was likely to turn into malice sooner or later. I had to protect Alfe3.
