Chapter 13: Magic Circuits?

Shortly after Mom turned around and left, I sighed in relief and began to look around, trying to reorganize my thoughts, realizing once again something curious that already indicated that something was wrong from the beginning.

Maru's room might be simple compared to a modern house made of wood, but it was quite pretty for a commoner's tastes.

Not only that, but just a table, a chest of drawers (sorry I don't know the names of those things, haha), a bookshelf with a variety of books, and two chairs, all of which were well made.

The room itself was no more than 5 meters in size—quite large for someone who has to live like an ordinary villager.

And when you think about it, having a hand mirror like that…while it can be explained by my situation of actually being the first princess of a Grand Duchy, how does it fit into the narrative of being the daughter of a humble innkeeper?

Didn't Mama think commoners couldn't afford such luxuries? It's possible; after all, a nobleman would hardly understand the lifestyle of the lowest caste, let alone want to live like them. Mama and I could have done quite well with that much, actually.

More than that, the tavern was about four stories high and looked much better than many of the surrounding houses… How did Mother manage to get all this built without raising suspicions among the locals of Starganus Kingdom? Were those trusted subordinates of the Grand Duke the ones who helped make it possible?

Were they the ones who built the inn?

If so, where are they? This place seemed full of ordinary villagers. Besides, if I think about it, it was strange that they seemed to like Maru, a girl from outside, when I know from the game that many villages don't tend to like strangers, even if they live with them for a while.

…Now that I think about it, no one was wary of adventurers at the inn, even though many villages and towns viewed men and women of that profession with suspicion, only tolerating them to solve their problems in exchange for a specific price…..

“What exactly is going on here? Seriously….”

I couldn't help but murmur.

I suddenly felt anxious at the growing strangeness behind this story, but I shook my head. That's not what I should be doing right now.

♦♦♦♦

Following Mother's stern orders, I began to resume my solo study of magic, this time searching for a different book than The Basics for Apprentice Magicians.

I gave up trying to evoke the power of my spirits for now, as I might unintentionally attract Mom's attention if I brought Poshi and Tama (should I change their names?) into the material world.

As a woman of noble origin and wife of the Grand Duke of Aragon, I knew more or less that she was a very talented Mage before her disappearance, so I had to take it slow and at least wait for her to authorize its use….

Although, to think that the Grand Dukes is a pairing of a Sword Master and a Genius Mage…for a Japanese game, it seems to have a lot of things that remind me of the Korean fantasy romance I enjoyed so much.

However, there was one book titled History and Theory of Magic that was particularly striking because it was much smaller than Basic Concepts. 

It seemed like the kind of technical stuff that would be too difficult for a little kid to understand, and I wanted to try my hand at it.

I mean, everything I know about the Magic of this world was based on practical application and its exact theory was never mentioned except for what was already quite easy to understand, much less the history of its development.

After all, it was a game; no matter how dark it was or how much you didn't directly control your character, it couldn't bore you to death.

As such, I was curious about this knowledge….he adds that he had a specific interest in magical theories and those things from the stories he read, and here I am.

Anyway, I quickly made my way to the bed and lay down naturally on it, consciously noticing now that it wasn't as uncomfortable as one might expect from a commoner's bed… I immediately pushed those thoughts aside, focusing instead on the contents of the book.

I ignored what was basically an unwanted introduction about researchers, philosophical notes or something similar to encourage deep study and such, along with messages like “This knowledge will drastically increase your understanding of magic!!“ and got straight to the point.

Magic is both an art and a science. It is a technique developed by humanity to harness the power of spirits granted to us by the world itself through the magical circuits of the Soul with maximum efficiency and flexibility, and at the same time a discipline for studying it.

“¿?“

Magic circuits?

Like those little things from Typemoon or whatever that are in the soul?

Why is this the first time I've heard that this game had such a concept?

My mind revolved around the term “Magic Circuits,” completely baffled.

♦♦♦♦

While Maru was dealing with the unnecessary thought he was giving to the subject of magic circuits, the future hero of the world, Thadeus, was heading towards his house with a thoughtful look on his face.

She was reflecting on what was happening with her little friend of the same age, Maru, someone she had considered an important person for years.

She was a strange girl who arrived with her pregnant mother when Thadeus was six years old. It seems they've known each other since their youth, even though she's a stranger in this town. Accompanied by a suspicious group of people, they managed to be welcomed with the help of Thadeus's influential father, who seemed to know Maru's mother, Canelia.

They were supposedly cousins, which would actually make Maru and Thadeus distant relatives. However, he was curious about her, so he approached her, trying to befriend her once they were more settled.

At first, he was rejected outright.

Maru was…a shy girl, but clearly somewhat haughty and arrogant as well, putting on airs and distancing herself from everyone. 

In her eyes, one could see something that Thadeus could now tell was sadness and unease, but also a certain undisguised disgust with her surroundings. Only later would he understand that this girl was a noble brat who still had to acclimatize to the situation she found herself in.

Even with that attitude that discouraged people from dealing with her, Thadeus wasn't one to give up easily. Rather, he was quite insistent, feeling he couldn't leave that girl alone; just like some of the children at the orphanage he helped care for as a sort of older brother.

At every opportunity he had, he approached her to talk to her and even show her some things that he found interesting.

Of course, Maru ignored him and even gave him cold glances, but over time, that girl with the expressionless and haughty look began to relax her attitude a little, and that encouraged Thadeus to continue.

And over time, perhaps because of the birth of her sister, Loily, Maru relaxed completely around him and began going out to play with him whenever she could, which made him happy. He felt like he'd helped Maru come out of the shell she'd put herself in.

However…he would soon discover that she was only like that with him, to his dismay.