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Chapter 2 – The Master’s Intentions
Unique magic. Rona’s spine tingled as she reached that answer.
Magical power of a wavelength she had never felt before. The consumption was out of proportion to the phenomenon that was occurring.
Those threads were unique magic. A natural magic that could not be obtained even if one wished for it, and could not be reproduced by others. Clare possessed it.
Possessing unique magic is like having an extra card in one’s hand that other magicians cannot obtain.
What characteristics does it have, and what can it do? Her interest never ends. And the joy of being a teacher, being able to train a child with such talent from scratch.
Envy at having something she couldn’t have herself, and anticipation at how much she could polish such a gem.
All these emotions and predictions about the future brought a smile to Rona’s mouth.
Clare’s puppeteer continued. The dancing doll would occasionally move towards Clare, who would hurriedly move away, and there was even some comical back and forth, so it was clear that the production was well-thought-out to keep the audience entertained.
Finally, the doll and Clare bowed together to the empty audience. After witnessing this, Rona returned to her usual expression and walked out in front of Clare, clapping her hands.
“Grandma Rona…”
Clare seemed surprised, but then looked down, a little embarrassed.
“Heh, heh. I’m not angry or anything. I’m just impressed that you showed me something pretty good.”
When Rona smiled, Clare seemed a little relieved. But she had to ask the questions she needed to ask.
“But… there’s something you haven’t told me?”
“Yes…”
“Well… you can tell me about that tomorrow.”
“Okay, um… old lady. If I’m not normal…”
Clare timidly asks. Clare is shy and quiet, but Rona lives with her. Considering that she’s not that intimidated by Rona if she needs something, it could be said that she doesn’t show this attitude to Rona very often. Her expression is almost motionless, but she looks a little anxious.
“If normal is good, I wouldn’t live here.”
Rona shrugs, and Clare blinks a few times before nodding. Then, Clare and Rona return to the main house and go to bed.
The next day…
After having breakfast and taking care of the livestock and fields, Rona sets aside time to talk to Clare again.
“Well, well. Let me hear your story then.”
“Yes.”
Having left it overnight, Clare seemed to have thought carefully about what to say. Without much pause, she began to talk haltingly about what Rona saw last night.
“I have memories of a different me, living in a different country.”
Clare’s answer was something that Rona would understand if it was revealed. A place that is not here. Memories of someone she does not know.
The sense of discomfort was answered with a clear “is that why?”
“When I thought about why Grandma Rona told me what it was, an “answer” came from deep within my mind… but it’s not normal.”
“I see.”
That’s probably why she couldn’t tell Rona. The idea of reincarnation exists, and Rona can understand it.
She doesn’t want to be perceived as creepy and rejected. It would be terrible if she were called a heretic and persecuted. Since her memories are backed by common sense and knowledge, it is not surprising that she feels that she cannot reveal it to the people around her.
“But if you understand that much, why did you make the doll dance last night?”
“In my memory, [I] made the doll dance…it seemed like a lot of fun…No. I was having fun. I somehow knew that I could do the same thing…I endured. But…”
Because it is a unique magic, she probably understood that she could do it by instinct before learning the theory. And…that unique magic itself seems to be closely related to Clare’s past life in some way.
“Hmm. So, how was it when you tried it? Was it fun?”
“–Yes. Very much.”
After thinking for a moment, Clare looks into Rona’s eyes and answers.
“That’s great. But the person who was manipulating the puppets must have been a traveling performer or something.”
“Traveling performer… yes. I don’t travel, but that’s the feeling. I was at a theater, but the theater closed down. After that, I was making puppets and videotaping on street corners.”
“Traveling Performer?”
“Um… show people a show… if they like it, you get money… that’s one of the methods, I guess.”
Clare seemed to be having trouble explaining what a Traveling Performer was.
“Well, I’ll leave the details aside… if you say it’s fun for you, you should keep doing it.”
“Are… are you okay?”
Clare’s expression didn’t change as she looked up at Rona. But her eyes seemed to be sparkling.
“…It’s not something that’s going to cause any trouble for anyone, so there’s nothing to be shy about. There appears to be a lot you can do with that thread, so I’ll help you think of how to use it.”
“Thanks, Grandma Rona…!”
“But you need to think a little about how you were raised. If you have memories of a place you don’t know, of someone you don’t know, and the answer you come up with based on that person’s common sense and knowledge may not be appropriate for this time and place. If you just accept it in your head and leave it there, you may end up going astray in an unexpected place.”
“Yes.”
After a bit of thought, Clare nods her head. It’s probably an understanding that comes from knowledge and experience, but Rona feels that Clare must be smart because she was able to think about it and understand what she was told.
In the first place, the words Rona just told her are things that Clare couldn’t understand at her age.
That’s the meaning of thinking about how to raise her, and knowing Clare’s circumstances, it would be inefficient to teach a child of her natural age from scratch. However, it is necessary to reconcile common sense… and for that to happen–
(Well… I guess we need to have a proper talk. Even though she’s a child, there are some things that aren’t.)
Clare’s mental age is higher than she looks. It seemed necessary.
“Also, don’t tell anyone else about this. I wasn’t wrong to keep quiet.”
“I understand.”
Clare responded to Rona’s words with a serious face. Although Clare’s expression hardly changed.
Intelligent and rational. She could see that she was well-educated. Rona guessed that she was probably an intellectual who lived in a peaceful country.
Anyway, her feeling of discomfort about Clare was correct. But Rona thought that it wouldn’t be a big problem since she was able to understand the truth early on.
On the contrary, if it goes well, it can make Clare a stronger magician. If she is shy but has good discretion and judgment, it is possible to teach her some dangerous magic from an early stage. The reason why it takes time to train a disciple of magic is that you have to wait for the mind and intellect to mature.
So, Rona smiled to herself without showing it on her face that it was wonderful to be able to share information about Clare’s secret at this point, and Clare herself was delighted to continue to play puppets, as she showed her joy with a smile.
And so Clare’s life as a witch began.
Rona’s educational policy is basically to make her able to survive anywhere.
If she wants to live while interacting with others, she can collect medicinal herbs, compound them into medicine, and sell them. If the skills and knowledge that a witch possesses can be sold, fortune-telling and rainmaking can be a way to earn a daily living.
On the other hand, if you would like to live quietly and unnoticed, you can learn how to hunt and defend yourself. All of these can be acquired while living and training as a witch in the Great Sea of Trees.
The first thing Rona taught her in her training as a witch was the basic training of magical powers and the skills and knowledge to protect herself.
“Your hair and eye color are too noticeable in public, so use spells and potions to hide them. At least, for a while. It’s not all bad as a witch or magician, but if you’re not careful, you’ll be targeted by slave traders and other traders.”
“Why do traders… target you?”
It was easy for Clare to understand that slave traders would target you. Because rare hair and eye colors are expensive in themselves.
Although Rona doesn’t mention it, Clare’s appearance itself is also included. Not only her rare hair and eye color, but also her well-proportioned features make her look otherworldly.
“…Mainly as a catalyst for magic. Hair, eyes, teeth, nails, blood. Dark magic that uses things like that. Curses exist in the world, too.”
When Rona explained to Clare, who tilted her head, her expression tightened a little…or so it seemed. Clare’s expression usually doesn’t change much, but they’ve been friends for a long time. If you observe her closely, you can notice subtleties, and even if she doesn’t move, her face may show her color. Rona nodded generously, as if that reaction was enough.
Of course, Rona intended to prioritize teaching her techniques to protect herself from such curses.
In reality, she would first teach her how to disguise her hair and eye color and how to create a hidden barrier, and then she would do basic training so that she could maintain it all day without thinking about it.
At the same time, she would improve her level of skill in countering obstruction and insight, which would steadily raise the strength and accuracy of the magic itself.
The more Clare’s skills improved, the more Rona would drill advanced obstruction techniques into her. There is no end to basic training, strength, and precision.
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