Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Magic (2)

Magic.

A mysterious force that uses yeom—things like human desire, hope, will, and mental strength—to turn what you imagine into reality.

It was so mysterious that even the Master, for all his many talents, said he didn’t really understand it.

“Honestly, I’m pretty sure he was bullshitting me…”

Regardless, the important thing was that Sphinx had offered to teach him magic.

“Is it something you can learn that easily?”

It wasn’t a bad offer, but Anagin voiced his doubts first.

Not because he didn’t trust Sphinx, but because he didn’t think magic was something you could pick up so easily.

He’d already seen the magic used by the Harpy Witch and her disciples. It didn’t seem like something just anyone could learn.

“Of course it’s hard. That said, some magic can be learned easily.”

“Can be learned…? Like what?”

“Oppa, you shout your technique names every time you fight, don’t you?”

“…Not every time.”

“But you do shout them, right? Why do you shout them?”

“Because it’s cool.”

“……”

Sphinx made a troubled face, as if she hadn’t expected that.

“Well, it also feels like it makes the attack stronger.”

“Right, that’s exactly it. You caught me off guard.”

“That’s magic? Me shouting technique names?”

“Yes, you could call it a kind of magic. The shout itself, carrying your wish for it to hit harder. And it’s not just that—a farmer’s hoe swinging every day with a wish for a good harvest can be magic, and a craftsman’s hands striving to make a masterpiece can be magic too… Magic isn’t necessarily something only a special few can wield.”

“Hmm……”

Anagin let out a low hum and nodded.

That actually made sense.

Magic was based on yeom, and yeom sprang from human desire and will.

‘Is that why he made me shout technique names?’

Anagin thought back to the past.

Every time he sparred with the Master, Anagin would steal the Master’s techniques one by one and use them. And every time, the Master would hit him and yell.

‘Shout the technique name! Shout it! Loudly!’

‘How am I supposed to do something that embarrassing?!’

‘You’re embarrassed in front of your Master?! Your Master embarrasses you?!’

‘Yes!’

‘Shouting technique names is cool! I’ll convince you!!’

The Master had earnestly convinced him with both fists, and in the end, Anagin was convinced. After getting hit enough, shouting technique names actually started to feel pretty cool.

“Oppa, why do you look like that?”

“Just remembered something from the past. Anyway, you’re going to teach them that kind of magic… Hm?”

Anagin stopped mid-sentence when he saw Cori and Pais, who had come up beside him without him noticing.

Both siblings had their eyes sparkling. They must have been looking forward to learning magic.

Sphinx gave them a word of caution.

“Don’t get your hopes up too high. I’m not about to teach you some incredible magic. All I’m teaching you is a magic to throw stones a little more accurately.”

“That’s still great!”

Pais shouted energetically.

His older sister Cori asked eagerly as well.

“How do you use magic? Do you chant an incantation?”

“Chanting an incantation is certainly one way, but chanting one every time you throw a stone isn’t efficient. Magic doesn’t always require an incantation.”

This was new to Anagin too, but it made sense.

After all, he didn’t shout out every single technique he’d stolen from the Master.

Footwork, defense, grappling—the techniques he used often didn’t get names. Even the Master didn’t shout technique names with every move, probably because it was embarrassing.

Sphinx raised her index finger.

“What matters is concentrating and drawing an image in your mind. Picture the stone flying more accurately, the stone hitting the target.”

The siblings nodded in unison.

Sphinx picked up a stone, closed her eyes, then opened them and threw with all her might.

Crack-!

The stone flew with a force that didn’t suit her slender arm, landing dead center on top of the stone Anagin had thrown.

“Whoa! It’s even more powerful!!”

Pais marveled at the force of Sphinx’s throw.

“Did you cast a magic that makes it stronger too, sis?”

“Of course.”

Sphinx answered with a smile.

Then her eyes met Anagin’s.

“……”

“……”

“…How was it?”

“You go pick up stones too.”

---

Training has an order to it.

Anagin made Pais and Cori, who were still distracted by the idea of magic, go pick up stones first. And Sphinx too, while she was at it.

“Then give me something to carry the stones in. You three grab one too.”

The three took the sacks Anagin handed them and gathered stones.

It was a tiring chore that ate up a fair amount of time, but perhaps thanks to their excitement about learning magic, the siblings collected stones faster than before. Sphinx helping probably played a part too.

Either way, having quickly gathered the stones, Cori and Pais immediately resumed training.

“First, let’s try meditation. So you can push aside other thoughts and focus only on the stone.”

Sphinx taught them meditation to improve concentration. She said it wasn’t strictly necessary, but raising your concentration made using magic more effective.

Cori and Pais took Sphinx’s words to heart and entered meditation, then soon gripped stones in both hands and imbued them with yeom.

Though “imbuing” was really just focusing the image in their minds onto the stone.

Whoosh whoosh-! Tang!

The stones flew astray, just like before.

Anagin asked Sphinx a question.

“Can they really learn magic doing that?”

“I can’t say for certain. Magic is a field that requires talent. I only show the path; reaching the goal depends on the individual’s ability. There are people with strong will who still can’t use magic.”

“How do you know if they’re learning magic properly or not?”

“If they’re learning properly, you’ll be able to feel yeom from the stone.”

“When will that be?”

“When those kids have learned magic. Until then, you won’t know. Whether they’re learning properly or not.”

“Hm, that sounds kind of irresponsible?”

“That’s just how the study of magic is. But isn’t that fine? Even if they can’t learn magic, practicing like that will improve their stone-throwing skills, won’t it?”

“Well…”

It wasn’t wrong, so Anagin didn’t say anything else.

Cori and Pais becoming proficient at stone-throwing was the original goal. As long as that goal could be achieved, anything was fine.

If they learned magic, all the better, but even if they didn’t, improving their stone-throwing would still be a decent outcome.

More than anything……

“This yeom thing. It’s kind of like a muscle.”

Anagin speculated about the nature of yeom based on what Sphinx had told him.

It required talent, but in the end, repeated practice was essential too. It was similar to a muscle that grew stronger the more you used it.

It wasn’t particularly surprising.

He could just understand it as something akin to diligence. Someone who was normally diligent could maintain their persistence even when faced with a difficult task, while someone who wasn’t couldn’t endure even easy things for long.

“That’s right, you can think of yeom as a mental muscle. Concentration, will, mental strength… all things you get better at the more you’ve done them, right?”

“That sounds mentally exhausting.”

Now that his guess was confirmed, Anagin immediately offered his next one.

The head portion of the robe Sphinx wore rustled.

“That’s right too. The more you use yeom, the more mentally fatigued you become.”

No sooner had Sphinx answered than Cori wobbled.

“S-sorry. I just got a little dizzy for a moment…”

Cori said she was fine. But her complexion said otherwise. She was feeling a fatigue like anemia. It wasn’t simply because she’d practiced stone-throwing over a hundred times.

“Is it a side effect of using magic?”

“I don’t know if she actually used magic, but it’s true she focused too hard. The mind isn’t infinite either… She should be fine after a short rest. Don’t worry too much.”

Sphinx answered while checking on Cori’s condition.

Cori said, surprised, that she was fine.

“I-I’m okay. I just got a little dizzy for a second—”

“—Rest.”

Anagin said firmly to Cori, who was trying to force herself up.

If the mage Sphinx said to rest, then resting was the right call.

“B-but…”

“Did you forget the promise you made with me?”

“A promise…?”

“You follow my words no matter what. Even if it’s an unfair order.”

“Ah…”

Cori let out a soft exclamation.

But soon she mustered her courage and spoke.

“B-but if I do that, we’ll have to stay here, won’t we? Because of us.”

Cori brought up what Anagin had said before training. That they couldn’t move on until they hit the X mark with a stone.

Naturally, Cori didn’t want to cause a situation like that.

They knew better than anyone that they, as children, weren’t much help. And now to be a burden on top of that… She hated that more than anything.

“So what? We can just camp here. You don’t like the sleeping arrangements?”

“…N-no. It’s not that.”

“Or what? You think I’ll abandon you and leave?”

“……”

“Don’t worry. I won’t do that. If I were going to abandon you, I’d tell you properly when the time comes. I’d say, ‘You’re useless, so I’m leaving you behind.’”

Anagin said something harsh, right to their faces.

But because he was so blunt about it, Cori actually felt relieved. It meant she didn’t have to read between the lines or guess at hidden meanings—she could just take his words at face value.

Anagin continued.

“What’s urgent right now isn’t time. It’s you two pulling your own weight. So don’t get stubborn for no reason—just do as you’re told. Practice when I say practice, rest when I say rest, eat when I say eat. I won’t take complaints. Got it?”

“…Yes, thank you. Then I’ll rest a bit and practice once I’m better.”

In the end, Cori let go of her anxiety and complied.

Anagin nodded and looked toward her younger brother Pais.

He hadn’t even asked, but Pais answered energetically.

“I can keep going! I’ll rest if it gets hard!”

He seemed excited, but Pais had properly understood what Anagin said.

When Anagin nodded, Pais resumed practicing.

“Pinku Pinku. Watch the kids for a bit.”

“Where are you going?”

“To catch something for lunch and dinner.”

Anagin spoke based on the condition of Pais and Cori and what he’d learned about magic. He couldn’t tell if the two brats were using magic or not, but it was clear they were burning through a lot of stamina. It didn’t look like they’d be able to set out today, at any rate. Maybe they’d have to stay here for a while……

“Are you okay with that?”

Sphinx asked. She meant: was he okay wasting time like this, given his unusual drive?

“It’s not that urgent anyway. And there’s something I want to practice too.”

Sphinx tilted her head, not understanding what he meant.

Anagin left her there and headed into the forest.

Once he’d gone some distance in, Anagin looked at his right hand and concentrated his Gi.

Pa, the technique of focusing Gi into one part of the body.

In that state, Anagin tried using Ek again—the technique he’d seen and used in his fight with Pais.

Sssss……

A sensation of the Gi in his hand being released little by little, in a form somewhere between light and smoke. It wasn’t particularly difficult.

He’d seen it once, taken a hit from it once, and used it once.

Still, something felt lacking.

He’d imitated the outward form, but hadn’t built the substance—that kind of feeling.

After sparring with the Master, the Master would explain the imitated technique in detail so he could build its substance, but unfortunately, Gi wasn’t something he could do that with.

Maybe he should look for someone who could teach him about Gi.

He recalled what the now-deceased Old Man had said.

Even among Ascetics, they didn’t just teach others how to properly handle Gi. You had to pay a considerable price, or have connections.

He’d let it slide back then, but now he thought he understood a little.

“Well, it’s not urgent.”

Anagin recalled the Gi he’d released and sat down in a suitable spot.

Then, just as the Master had taught him, he sat with his eyes closed and fell into meditation. In his meditation, Anagin replayed his fight with Paia and recalled the way he’d used Gi then.

So he could fight better.

---

Tang! Tang!

The next morning.

Cori and Pais finally hit the X mark Anagin had carved with their stones.

“Bro! Did you see that?!” “I-I did it…!”

Whether it was thanks to magic or just good stone-throwing skill, one thing was certain: the stones had hit the mark.

Which meant the two brats could now defend themselves, at least.

“Hm. I think I might feel a faint yeom from the stones?”

Sphinx muttered as she touched the stones that had fallen after hitting the mark.

Pais reacted immediately.

“S-so we can use magic?”

“Maybe… But don’t get arrogant. This might be as far as you go.”

Magic was a profound study. Even if you could use magic, stone-throwing might be the limit. Even if you could handle yeom, not everyone could control fire or summon wind.

“What do we have to do to get there?”

“Polish your talent through steady study and training. It’s not something you can do right away.”

Pais, who had been excited, showed a hint of disappointment, but soon seemed to decide he was satisfied and fixed his expression. Anagin chimed in too. Whatever the case, they’d succeeded at the stone-throwing he’d demanded.

“For now, be satisfied with what you’ve achieved in front of you. You worked hard too.”

“Yeah…!”

Cori smiled at Anagin’s praise.

But that smile soon faded.

“Then let’s finish the last hundred, eat, and head out.”

“What?”

“I told you. Even if you succeed once, you throw a hundred times.”

That was right. It wasn’t over when you hit the mark—you had to throw in sets of a hundred, no exceptions. And they hadn’t finished those hundred yet.

“If you throw half-heartedly, you start over from the beginning. I’ll be watching, so throw properly. Sphinx. You prepare the food. We’re leaving after lunch.”

“Oppa, setting aside the food prep—you’re leaving right away?”

“That’s what we agreed. Even after we eat, the sun’ll still be up, so you want me to just sit around?”

Anagin was firm. The problem was that he wasn’t just firm—he actually followed through on what he said.

Anagin stood behind them, checking that Pais and Cori were throwing properly, and waited for lunch.

By the time Pais and Cori had finished throwing, Sphinx brought the food, and they immediately filled their stomachs and prepared to leave.

Of course, in the process, he didn’t do a single bit of cleanup or dishwashing.

Was that why?

The look in Sphinx’s eyes as she regarded Anagin had become somewhat similar to the looks in Pais and Cori’s eyes.

“What?”