45. Standard Spellcasting

"Can I see the three of you demonstrate your magic and combat techniques?"

The next day, after breakfast, Shiro said that.

"Indeed," Aria replied. "We should get a feel for each other's strengths, so our coordination in battle on the way back is solid."

"I want to see Shiro's power up close," Shestia said.

"Hmph, I'll take him on," Albert said.

Each responded in their own way.

The five of them moved to an open square nearby.

"Shiro, when I watch you, I can't help but think you don't get it—our magic, or rather, magic in this world, isn't something you just cast off the cuff with no incantation."

Aria explained.

"Wait, really?"

Shiro was surprised.

"Shiro, in this world, you need either an incantation or a magic circle to cast spells. Even I, a genius, can only use a tiny fraction without chanting."

Shestia added.

"First, just watch," Aria said. She raised her staff, fixed her gaze on a rock about twenty meters ahead, and began chanting.

"By the spirit, I call upon flame—answer me, rise from my hand, form a sphere, pierce that rock… Fireball!"

A red magic circle, about fifty centimeters in diameter, flared to life. Almost immediately, a fireball the size of a baseball appeared and shot toward the rock. It struck the rock and exploded, splitting it cleanly.

"Ah, I see. That's the incantation."

Shiro's interest was piqued by spellcasting through incantation.

"Next, it's my turn."

Shestia said, and immediately began chanting.

"By the spirit, I call upon flame—Fire Burst!"

A crimson mana circle, about a meter in diameter, flared to life—then a small, glowing ball of fire, the size of a golf ball, shot out. It streaked through the air and struck a rock a hundred meters away, detonating with a thunderous boom.

"Wow, impressive power... and that was a chant cancellation, right?"

And Shiro was struck by the technique’s skill and power.

Still not yet, Shestia says,

"Summon the spirit—grant my will, shatter his stone... ICE SHOT!"

And now, I recite the incantation. This time, there’s a slight pause before enunciating the skill’s name, unlike last time.

The same rune glowed, and dozens of white, glowing ice shards, about three centimeters in diameter, erupted from the entire surface of the array, flying toward the rock that had been shattered earlier and piercing the remaining stone.

……this is impressive……

And Shiro was likewise stunned by Shestia’s magic.

"Compliment me," Shestia murmurs, drifting closer.

"……ah, wow," Shiro instinctively ran a hand through Shestia's hair.

"Frankly, if you could shoot magic like that, wouldn't it have been enough to take down the Giant Hedgehog?"

And, Shiro hears.

“By the time I realized it, we were surrounded by giant hedgehogs—too close already. And I only had two Fire Bursts left. Ice Shot required incantation, a charge-up, and focus—I couldn’t get it right,” Shestia said.

Ah, I see. Yeah, if the enemy’s this close, we’ll probably get caught in the blast too—makes sense, Shiro thought.

"Typically, magic manifestation requires incantation," Aria said.

“I just need the first and last keywords—can activate it with Shiro’s image,” Shestia boasts, chest puffed out.

"Yeah, this kid’s special. A prodigy. There aren’t many in this country who can cast magic without incantations," Aria explained. Then she continued.

"Ah, and magic circles—most are used in conjuration devices. Occasionally, someone visualizes a circle and manifests it directly, then uses it to activate real magic. Faster than incantations, sure, but memorizing the full design is too hard for most. Still, useful in combat where speed matters."

Aria went on.

"I handle fire and wind up to intermediate level. Shestia’s got fire, water, ice, and holy—up to advanced. Four elements? Rare. Albert’s got wind and earth—beginner level. Though, truth be told, he’s better at martial arts than magic."

She finished her explanation.

『Shiro, their magic use reflects standard practices in this world. Aria and Albert are above average—strong, really. Shestia’s unusual. In a way, she’s close to you.』

Mitoka’s voice came through in a silent transmission.

(Interesting. Shestia feels… odd. Like some kind of familiarity. Or nostalgia. A strange sensation… I can’t quite place it…)

Shiro felt slightly unsettled by the unfamiliar feeling.

"Got it. Thanks, both of you."

He bowed his head in thanks.

"Alright, then," Albert suddenly said. "Let’s have a mock fight."

"Wait, a mock fight?"

Shiro blinked, repeating it.

"Yeah. I’m better with martial arts than magic. I want to see how good you really are. Just a quick spar."

Albert grinned.

"Ah, yeah. Fair enough. Let’s do it."

So, reluctantly, Shiro replies.

"Uh, is a wooden sword okay?" Shiro asks, pulling out a practice blade he made earlier for training with Mitoka, and handing it to Albert.

The two move to an open field a short distance away, standing ten meters apart, raising their wooden swords.

"Alright, I'll give the signal. This is a sparring match, so be careful not to injure each other. Both ready?"

Aria calls out. Shiro and Albert nod.

"Begin!"

At Aria’s command, Albert charges at Shiro, swinging his blade.

A solid strike—clearly powerful.

Shiro deflects it with ease.

Albert follows with attacks from above, from the side, from below—fluid, relentless.

Shiro deflects every one. The speed and force are impressive, but he shows no strain.

"……" Aria and Shestia watch, speechless.

After a sustained barrage, Albert steps back.

"Shiro, why aren’t you countering?" Albert asks.

"No, well, I mean… okay, I’ll take the lead now."

The moment Shiro speaks, his form blurs. No—three pairs of eyes see him vanish.

In an instant, he appears behind Albert, the wooden sword pressed against his neck.

Albert freezes, stunned. "Well, I’ll be damned."

"Shiro, that was incredible," Shestia murmurs, eyes wide with admiration.

"Shiro, that movement of yours…" Aria whispers. Then, more quietly:

"No, Shiro, Albert’s one of the top swordsmen in the nation. To dodge every attack like that—completely ignoring him, then appearing behind in a flash…"

"Wait, really? Sorry, did I go too far?"

Shiro fought the match against Mitoka as he always did, but neither of them realized—despite both being far beyond ordinary—just how extraordinary they truly were.

No, I learned something valuable. I’ve realized there’s always someone above me.

And, Albert said, staring at Shiro.

I’ll admit it—Shestia’s involved.

And then, out of nowhere, dropped a bombshell statement.

“Eh? What’s this about? I don’t remember anything about being acknowledged or whatever…⁉” Shiro flinched at the sudden shift in conversation.

"Brother... thank you."

And Shestia, her face flushed, replied.

"Wait—what are the two of you talking about? Shiro’s flustered, isn’t he? We’ll deal with that later!"

And with Aria stepping in, the conversation was brought to a temporary close.

◇

“Shiro, Albert’s movements are certainly impressive. Quite the martial skill. He doesn’t seem to realize it, but he’s unconsciously activating his breath technique—and even his aura. With proper training, he could get even stronger. That applies to the two of them too.”

And Mitoka explained it to Shiro.

(Alright. Then I’ll quietly decide to train everyone and make them stronger…) Shiro thought to himself.

◇

"Anyway, how come Shestia can cast spells without chanting?"

And, Shiro suddenly asked Shestia.

“I saw Shiro using it in a dream. I imitated it,” Shestia said.

"Inside a dream?" Shiro wondered. Then, suddenly, he remembered.

(hey, Mitoka. memories from a dream mean...)

"Yes, rewind, then. In this case, it's probably something that happened before Shiro arrived in this world? Gaining information from a dream means you're at Hyper-Memory Level 3. That would mean... in this world, Shiro's skills aside, two rewinds have already occurred."

Mitoka theorized.

(That’s right. Hmm, could this be tied to the anomaly in this world too...)

"Yes, that's likely..."

Shiro and Mitoka pondered, but came to no further conclusions.

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