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A priest from the temple provided guidance to the magic study group at the beginning of each week. On the other days, each member focused on their subjects, and the priest would then review the results at the start of the following week. Typically, a young priest was assigned to teach and oversee the group, but today was different.

“Hello, Miss Susie. Have you made any friends yet?”
“Sir Henry?”
“Normally, I’d leave this to the young priest over here, but today is your first day of school, so I had to come and check on you.”

Henry, now standing in front of the young priest, turned and smiled at Susie.

“Besides,” he continued, “I’d promised you I’d resume the lecture from before. It’s all essential knowledge when it comes to using Magic, so I might as well use the opportunity.”
“Please… do!”

◇◇◇◇◇◇

Last time I talked about the etheric body. This time I’ll provide a general explanation of the emotional and mental bodies, which follow after the etheric body. The emotional body, also referred to as the astral body, represents a person’s emotion. The mental body, in turn, governs each person’s will.

For better or worse, the astral body influences matter.

As such, a great astral wave can interfere with ether and transform matter. The ether, which permeates the world, also carries its own emotional and mental bodies.

On the other hand, the will of the ether allows for the etheric flow to be shaped into a current known as Mana.

The Mana that extends across the universe eventually reaches this world and encompasses the entire planet. We refer to this flow of Mana, or flow of consciousness, as the Great Spirit Belt.

The Great Spirit Belt is way too vast for the human consciousness to fully comprehend. However, by reaching for the Spirit Belt, which has separated from the larger flow, and then reaching for an even further division known as the Small Spirit Belt, one can communicate with the flow of Mana.

The Small Spirit Belt can further be subdivided into streams that permeate the atmosphere, earth, and the sea. These streams that hold significant amounts of mana are known as “Dragon Veins” and “Earth Veins”.

Additionally, some of the Small Spirit Belt’s streams, which contain highly concentrated mana, end up developing emotional bodies and personalities.

We refer to such streams as “Spirits.”

Spirits can then be further subdivided into the four attributes of wind, water, earth, and fire. It is also true that the spirits govern the principles behind the phenomena of the world.

By forming contracts with these spirits, we connect our etheric bodies to them, allowing for an easy exchange of information. This connection makes it possible to use our magical power to intervene with the etheric information, thereby altering physical phenomena.

This process forms the fundamental mechanics for using the miracle known as Magic. The strength and amount of magical power used for Magic are dependent on the emotional and mental bodies of each individual. The emotional body shows the amount of Mana one possesses, while the mental body shows their ability to use that Mana.

Whenever I explain this, I always use the water pistol analogy. Imagine you have a water pistol with a cylindrical extension attached to it. The width and length of this extension are reflective of the size of your emotional body.

While its firing force is derived from your mental body, or will. The amount of water in the pistol is indicative of the amount of Magic Power that person has. The amount of water a person expels corresponds to how much Mana they use. You can also refer to the expulsion part as your Mana Pressure.

By multiplying the Magic Power by the Mana Pressure, one can calculate the total amount of Mana they’ve used. However, that is for another lesson.

Also worth knowing is that weak emotions limit one’s ability to wield powerful Mana. Instability and emotional volatility make it impossible to generate a stable force. Conversely, when your emotions are rich, deep, and stable, you can display more power and have it be consistent. Similarly, a weak will renders it impossible to utilize most of your strength, while a strong will allows you to harness your power more effectively. The will is the driving force behind having the ability to change and create something, so be sure to cherish it.

◇◇◇◇◇

“Sir Jameson… A question!”
“Yes, what is it, Miss Susie? Before that, can you answer why you’re sitting on Miss Matheson’s leg?”
Henry asked me, but I brushed it off by shaking my head.

I was currently being held by Mia tightly, my back resting against her ample bosom. It felt as if I’d sunk into a sofa. A truly divine feeling!

“Dana and Corin were hugging her all morning, so now it’s my time to hold onto her.”

Mia replied curtly. Next to her, Beako shrugged and sighed, “Good grief.”

Hearing the exchange, Corin, who was at the far end of the room and was using the magic tools under the young priest’s guidance, glanced over.

I couldn’t help but wonder just what position I held in these children’s minds.

“I understand. It seems you’ve managed to quickly make friends. I’m glad. So, what is your question, Miss Susie?” Henry asked me with a bright smile.
“How… return… used… water?”

“The water pistol is but an analogy. Mana is generally not a depletable resource. Since it uses your etheric body as a medium for information, you may experience a temporary feeling of fatigue. However, you are not actually consuming Mana. And the body returns to its neutral state after a brief period. I did explain that the emotional body is responsible for the amount of Mana a person has, but using Mana doesn’t mean that you will end up becoming emotionally drained or lose your emotions.”

Henry continued, “The core of the exhaustion is mental fatigue. Using Mana is highly demanding on your concentration. As your mental power fluctuates, so does the thickness of your emotional body change. It is safe to say that the strength of your mind is proportional to the amount of Mana you can use. That is why you’ll find yourself unable to use Mana if you run out of energy. But, at the same time, as your energy returns, your capacity for using Mana is recovered.”

(I see! So that sense of exhaustion was mental fatigue! With the way I am now, I can clearly tell when my mind is being used, but it’s also able to recover almost instantly after feeling exhausted. But then, does that mean I have no limit to how much Mana I can use?)

Just the thought of that caused cold sweat to run down my back.

◆◆◆◆◆

It didn’t change the fact that Chi was still based on consciousness and that the flow of consciousness was equivalent to the flow of Chi. Given that I was now able to control the strength of my Chi, it was likely possible for me to control the strength of my Magic as well.

That led me to think of something.

(What if I focus my Chi really hard and try to manifest it? Will I be able to create a fireball without the need to chant?)

“No way it’ll happen!” Beako exclaimed, completely denying my idea. “The world isn’t so easy that you can just alter its events at a whim! There are proper procedures for these things! It’s the method of using Mana, in other words, technique!”

“However, it might be possible with a very large emotional body, an incredibly strong will, and vivid imagination. But it doesn’t change the fact that it would be terribly inefficient. It would exhaust an enormous amount of physical and mental strength. Like a child waving their hands around recklessly, relying only on their strength, without understanding how to use it. That is why the process you mentioned, Miss Croque, is useful in achieving far greater effects with far less effort.” Henry said, and then continued, “Now that the lesson is over, let’s make a contract with the spirits.”

He explained that we were about to perform something called the Contract Ceremony.

The process began by determining which type of spirit each person was compatible with. This was done using a Five Spirit Board.

The Five Spirit Board was a disc about 30 centimeters in diameter, with a pentagram engraved in the center and circular imprints at each of its five apexes. Henry demonstrated how it worked. When Mana was channeled through the center of the pentagram, the part of the board corresponding to the compatible spirit would glow.

Mia and Corin were visibly surprised when I decided to try it immediately.

Normally, one would begin by sensing and handling Mana, as being able to use the Five Spirit Board required at least a basic level of Mana manipulation.

The initial training to control Mana was notoriously challenging, often discouraging many from pursuing it further.

Most kids got frustrated and opted for paths that focused on physical prowess instead. (Dana and Irvine probably took that route too.)

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