Chapter 8 (2/2)

I discovered several things during today’s experiments.

First and foremost, the effects and power of the incantations written in the grimoire. Despite the many cryptic and unclear incantations, I was able to determine their effects just by using them.

Next, I uncovered the relations.h.i.+p between an incantation and the resulting spell. In a nutsh.e.l.l, spells manifest according to their incantations.3 If you say ‘burn’, it burns. If you say ‘freeze’, it freezes.

In ‘the case of the burnt soup’, I said ‘burn to nothingness’ and that was probably why the soup was burnt to cinders.

“Oh, so, if I had said ‘heat up the soup’ instead of ‘burn to nothingness’&h.e.l.lip;”

I imagined that, at that time, my magic was smiling at me and said,

“I burnt it to nothingness!”

My mind stalled on the image of ‘flames of purgatory heating stuff up’ and entirely disregarded the ‘burn to nothingness’ part. If I had said ‘with the flames of purgatory, heat it up’, it probably would have been completely different&h.e.l.lip;

Though I should have noticed straight away that something was wrong with such a dangerous word as ‘purgatory’.

I was totally and utterly taken with the fact that I could use magic.

In reality, nothing goes well when you get carried away.

I was lucky that only the soup got burnt. I s.h.i.+ver just thinking that I could have burnt my family to ashes instead. I now keenly understood how an incorrect incantation can result in manifesting unintended phenomena.

I need to carefully consider my phrasing&h.e.l.lip;

Also, whether it’s because of this relations.h.i.+p between spells and their incantations, there are multiple incantations that result in the same spell. For example, if I chant ‘O flames’ a flame will materialise. In the same way, ‘O flammable robes that cover the sun’4 will also materialise a flame.

Obviously, covering the sun with flammable robes will end with a fire5, and it suggests that incantations with the same nuance will have identical effects.

However, ‘in this place, show me a ruby’s radiance’ also materialised a flame. This is just a guess, but it could be because when I imagined a ruby’s radiance, I imagined a brilliant red flame.

I haven’t figured out how the image, the magic language and æther work together, but it should be safe to a.s.sume that a spell is cast by directing æther with the magic language according to an image you hold in your mind. As a result, it should be possible for a flame to appear with the words ‘ruby’s radiance’.

That said, no matter how impressive an incantation may be, a simple chant like ‘O flames’ is far more practical.

“Whatever, I’ll just use these incantations for now.”

With a basic grasp on the laws of magic, I can potentially make my own original incantations. However, it’s more important to learn to sense æther first.

I can come up with incantations later.

1 It’s a valid translation!

2 I am surprised to say, wheeze is a legitimate onomatopoeia.

3 No way?! How is this possible?!

4 I’m having a hard time deciding which is worse, flammable robes or abominable clamminess&h.e.l.lip;

5 No, I’m pretty sure it just vaporizes way before you get close.

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