Chapter 41 : The Origin of Magic
"Wah ah ah!!!!!!"
Lonis screamed and woke up.
However, at this time, she found herself lying on the coffee table in the living room... drool from her mouth had soaked her arm.
It was still raining outside, and from the bedroom came Elucia's voice:
"Stupid maid, what are you screaming about?"
"Eh...?"
"Hmph, still calling yourself a hero? Didn't expect your courage to be inferior to even kindergarten little girls."
"Wuu..."
Lonis wiped her arm. She seemed to have fallen asleep on the table unconsciously because she was tired and sleepy.
Because she was thinking about fearful things, she naturally had some nightmares.
But that dream just now was too realistic...
The ghostly wails and Elucia with her split mouth were vivid in her memory, making the current Lonis afraid to knock on the door and hide in the bedroom.
Because she was afraid that once she opened the door, she'd see Elucia in that terrifying form again.
Moreover, her masculine dignity prevented Lonis from saying she had dreamed of ghosts—so this silver-haired girl could only curl up by the coffee table, trying not to look outside the window.
(Speaking of which... I was just dreaming, so am I still in a dream now?)
(Something like sleep paralysis, dreams within dreams...)
Because she was really somewhat afraid, Lonis looked at her own arm.
White and tender, try biting it?
If it hurt, it definitely wasn't a dream, and then she'd go find Elucia for some casual chat.
......
That's what Lonis thought, but she overlooked... her body's sensitivity was at maximum!
So after one bite...
"Ah ah, it hurts!"
Lonis's cries echoed in the spacious ship.
"Stupid maid, what are you yelling about?!"
Seemingly finally unable to tolerate Lonis's wails, Elucia walked out with a furrowed brow... This black-haired girl hadn't been washing her hair, but the fierce look in her eyes was as terrifying as if she wanted to whip Lonis.
"I... that..."
"Because I haven't whipped you for too long, you're satisfying your desires by biting yourself? Hmph, fine, then I'll whip you to death, you submissive."
"No, Elucia... that, please let me explain!"
......
......
Afraid of being whipped by Elucia, Lonis could only tell the black-haired girl everything that had happened to her.
But contrary to her expectations, after hearing this, Elucia didn't mock her but frowned slightly, seemingly falling into deep thought:
"You said you heard ghost cries and saw me... with split lips?"
"Yes, yes..."
"Hmph, objectively speaking, there are three possibilities for this: First, your courage is too small, and you become paranoid with the slightest fright. If this is the case, I'll lock you in a dark room and gag your mouth."
"Wuu..."
"Second, you were affected by that monster's mental field, your SAN value (sanity value) dropped significantly, so you saw things you shouldn't have seen."
"Eh?! This kind of thing... is possible?"
"That monster was born to cause human fear in the first place. Lonis, before you were born, you didn't put points in 'Mental Immunity,' did you?"
"Mental immunity, what's that..."
"Heh heh, truly an idiot. Third, and most likely, this forest originally has vengeful spirits, and because you look too submissive, you were targeted by one."
"Vengeful spirits, eh?"
If Lonis was just a bit nervous before, now she wanted to burrow into Elucia's embrace.
What kind of world was this? It seemed to have magic, technology... could there also be wraiths?
Seeing Lonis show a confused expression, Elucia's expression became even more impatient:
"Idiots are truly idiots, not even knowing about wraiths..."
"I... I'm sorry."
"Fine, then I'll explain from the beginning. You roughly understand about magic crystal stones, right? They're compressed matter, so they can achieve various magical effects, and humans themselves can actually do this too."
"Eh..."
"Compressing certain energies from the three-dimensional world and storing them in one's body... Specifically, this is an evolved 'human blue cell' at work. Like white cells and red cells, it's part of the human body."
"Blue cells?"
"Mm, because they're light blue, they're also called magic cells or human magical power. In humans who can't use magic, blue cells make up only about 0.01% of the theoretical total, very rare, so they can't use any formed magical power."
"!"
"But in mages or my body, it can reach over 1% of the theoretical amount, so I can not only use various magical spells but also freely change my body shape."
Perhaps remembering certain things, Elucia's tone softened slightly.
"Then, do I have them in my body too?"
"Of course you have quite a few, but you can't utilize them. Hmph, even with magic cells, utilizing them isn't a matter of a day or two. Even if you have talent, mastering them proficiently would take several years."
"Do magic cells relate to ghosts?"
"Of course they're related. When a person's body dies, magic cells don't just dissipate but continue to exist as a unique energy form following the structure from when they were alive... Therefore, the more abundant one's magical power, the more likely they are to become a ghost after death."
"!"
"Some extremely powerful beings can even become ghosts that retain consciousness after death. In the Magic Academy of the Ember Kingdom, legend has it there's a ghost headmaster who hasn't died even after living for decades."
"So that's how it is..."
Lonis had always thought magic was something very fantastical. But under Elucia's explanation, she found it quite scientific.
(But since it's scientific, it's not so scary.)
However, just then.
......
"I... I hate so much..."
"Ah ah ah!"
Lonis shuddered in fright because that voice suddenly appeared by her ear again.
Very close, very ethereal.
At the same time, she could feel a cold gaze watching her, as if very envious of her body... That feeling of being spied on made Lonis feel instinctive fear.
......
"Lonis, did you hear that voice again?"
"Yes... Elucia, didn't you hear it?"
"No."
"Ah?"
"Then it seems you're a combination of the first, second, and third situations. Because your sanity is very low now, you're easily targeted by some wraiths... They have no bodies, so they very much want to steal your body."
"Will... will my body be stolen?"
"If you really get scared silly, perhaps it's possible, but..."
At this point, Elucia's gaze darkened, as if she wanted to say something.
However, she ultimately shook her head and didn't continue: "But that kind of cultivation method is really too absurd, with risks of going astray. Only necromancers would do such things."
"Necromancers..."
"Anyway, since you're so scared, put on the collar and let me lead you."
Elucia smiled coldly as she picked up the collar, then click, locked it around Lonis's neck.