The Guardian Knight of Affection-Starved Young Ladies

4 – The Motive (02)

005.

Nature, Manufacturing, Combat, Contract, Scholarship.

In modern times, these five attributes form the main framework of magic.

Nature is literally nature.

It aims to manifest shapes resembling nature through magic.

Things like fire, water, or the sky and earth.

It is most similar to the basic 1st rank and thus, most magicians belong to the nature attribute.

Manufacturing is based on alchemy.

It mixes magical materials or methods with the original alchemical laws of the world.

This can create much more powerful magical weapons or convenient items that can be used in daily life.

Combat is the most intuitive.

Its ultimate goal is killing.

It is the attribute most closely aligned with the original use of magic when it was born.

It is characterized by significantly superior lethality and destructive power compared to other attributes.

Contract is the domain of spiritists.

They communicate with spirits of the spirit world and form a kind of pair with them.

The spirit observes the world with the contractor, and the contractor learns the spirit magic used by the spirit.

Scholarship is the most theoretical.

It aims for the contemplation, constant research, and exploration of magic.

It is the attribute that reveals the unknowns of ‘magic,’ which still has many unclear parts, one by one.

Each attribute is properly structured from the 2nd rank, and its characteristics become more prominent as it goes higher.

This is what Blamia said when Kalen attempted 2nd rank combat magic.

Of course, there are risks involved, and they are generally divided into spirit, academia, manufacturing, nature, and combat.

What Sinat is attempting is to enter from the first rank to the second rank.

It is the moment when the contract attribute first becomes prominent, and it is the first contract with a spirit.

“…I’m nervous, Kal. Can you hold my hand?”

“You were the one persuading me earlier.”

“That was that… but I’m still nervous.”

“…”

When it was time to stop, she pushed forward confidently, but at times like this, she was definitely scared.

Kallen inadvertently recalled the first time he met Sinat.

-Huh? Puhat! Friends don’t use honorifics with each other. Silly.

Calling him a friend right off the bat.

Even then, he felt it, but Sinat was definitely unique.

But now, Kallen is more accustomed to such a Sinat.

Without saying much, he quietly held Sinat’s hand.

“Hee.”

“…Focus.”

Seeing Sinat laugh playfully, Kallen turned his head, feeling awkward for no reason.

It was because he kept recalling that time bathed in the sunset.

Kallen hurriedly tried to shake off the thoughts and thought of something else.

The procedure of the ‘contract’ attribute.

If you delve into it more deeply, it is quite complicated.

Which attribute isn’t, but the world of magic was certainly vast.

When a suitable person for the contract attribute tries to manifest the second rank, they momentarily lose consciousness.

However, unlike usual fainting, the body does not collapse.

Only the mental part connects to the spirit world.

There, they can meet spirits who are fond of the caster’s mana.

Usually, they follow a master or say there is a spirit they connect with instinctively…

“Sinat.”

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Recalling up to that point, Kallen called Sinat softly.

His mind was calm, and he was checking if there was anything strange.

There was no response from the clasped hands, and the closed eyes remained the same.

It meant that the spirit had fully settled in the spirit realm.

“What kind of spirit could it be?”

Blamia had taught that it was easy to immerse one’s consciousness into the spirit realm.

The success of entering the second realm was determined by the mark that appeared on the wrist.

If the consciousness returned and the mark shone brightly, it meant that the second realm had been mastered.

It was said that spirits took the form of cute animals.

There was a reason why, upon hearing about Sinat’s attribute compatibility, it was said, “It suits you well.”

An active Sinat would go well with a cute spirit.

Kallen waited quietly for Sinat to wake up.

It was a moment that was boring, but not entirely tedious.

*

“Sinat!”

“…”

“Sinat!!”

Something was wrong.

Kallen felt it not long after.

The disciple and granddaughter of the great mage Blamia.

Names that seemed to lack nothing in terms of magical prowess.

In theory, both Kallen and Sinat were quite proficient.

For them, attempting the second realm contract attribute posed no great danger.

But they were still just two young children.

The world does not always follow theory.

While walking, there could be an unexpected stone protruding.

Unexpected variables always exist.

For Kallen and Sinat, this was such a moment.

A situation they had not heard about from Blamia.

During the contract attribute class, Blamia had not explained a situation like Sinat’s current one.

Kallen urgently called out to Sinat and grabbed his shoulders but did not dare to try to wake him.

Sinat’s brow was deeply furrowed, and cold sweat trickled down.

He couldn’t wake up, his eyes remaining closed.

Was it simply taking a long time?

That wouldn’t explain the ominous aura rising around Sinat.

Spirits were supposed to be sacred beings.

It made no sense for such a foreboding aura to arise when making a pact with them.

“Mark…”

The moment when the slight unease he had been trying to ignore flared up violently.

Kallen grabbed Sinat’s wrist and checked.

Tssst-

In the space where the sacred mark should have been engraved, a faint black line was drawn.

Kallen possessed a genius talent for his age.

There was no doubt about the talent recognized by Blamia.

However, if you set aside his age, he could only use a second-tier magic spell.

Moreover, the attribute he handled was different.

It meant he couldn’t help but be ignorant about contract magic.

Furthermore, it was not easy to remain calm in such an unexpected situation.

Fortunately, his calm personality was helping him assess the situation,

But it didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t think of a solution.

– Listen carefully. Especially you, Sinat. Contract attribute magic must never be interrupted during casting. It’s natural for the body to be greatly strained, and if something goes wrong, you might never be able to use magic again.

Blamia’s teachings were etched into his brain like a brand.

A past where hope was something he dared not covet.

It was an old man who extended a hand of salvation into the abyss of despair.

Kallen could never defy Blamia’s words.

Was the trembling he felt Sinat’s?

Or was it Kallen’s own?

The teachings left by his benefactor and mentor,

And Sinat, Blamia’s granddaughter and his only friend.

The extremes he couldn’t choose between were slowly gnawing at his mind.

“…”

The moment that seemed eternal was punctuated by,

Drip-

The blood flowing from Sinat’s nose and mouth.

And at the same time,

Kallen’s trembling stopped.

*

“Hoo… Hoo…”

Was it hyperventilation?

Kallen clung to his hazy mind, feeling as if his brain was being squeezed, and tried to recall.

-Master. You said I have no mana. Am I unusual?

-It’s not unusual. People without mana are more common than you think.

-Then…

-Among those who are not mages, that is. Kallen, there is no case where a mage does not have mana. It may be very little, but there is never a case where someone uses magic without mana like you.

At the same time, his hand moved to his body.

Remembering the time when Blamia stimulated his mana.

-Then to become a mage, one must have mana.

-Of course. Magic cannot exist without mana.

Magic cannot exist without mana…

In other words, magic absolutely requires mana.

Kallen muttered those words as if they were a divine revelation.

The mental world is almost like proof of a mage.

He knows that his mental image is different from the usual ones.

There is one more thing that is different from the usual.

Using magic without mana.

It’s a baseless assumption, but if there is some connection between an abnormal mental image and mana,

Could he forcibly sever another’s mana using his mental image?

Sinat’s unbreakable contract is also magic.

According to Blamia, ordinary magic does not manifest without mana.

“I can never use magic again…”

The warning echoed in his mind.

Life and Magic.

There was no need for comparison.

Kallen took a deep breath and prepared the second-tier combat magic, “Explosion.”

His hand was still directed towards his own body.

A peculiar body that triggers visions when mana is stimulated.

Kallen doesn’t know how to stimulate mana.

Nor has he learned how to extract visions yet.

But he remembers what Blamia did.

In the end, it’s about tearing the body apart with magic.

Blamia’s method to stimulate mana was also magic.

His body, which lacks mana to be stimulated, instead spews out visions.

Kallen’s gaze was terrifyingly calm.

It was a commonly heard phrase, and at the same time, it didn’t justify the madness he was about to commit.

The pit engraved in the backyard training ground was still vivid in Kallen’s memory.

Kallen gripped Synat’s hand even tighter and said,

“Want to make a bet, Synat?”

There was a time when Blamia took Kallen around to experience various things.

One day, they went to a gambling den, and oddly enough, he had a knack for betting.

Because he lived immersed in gambling and betting, there was a time when he reacted to any mention of a bet.

For that reason, Blamia tried to restrain him, but the habit of saying, “Want to make a bet?” had already become ingrained long ago.

“Whether I’ll succeed or fail in this absurd act.”

Kallen wasn’t even aware of the hollow laugh escaping him.

Can he survive using second-tier magic on his body?

Will Synat be harmed in the process?

Is the connection between visions and mana not just his own delusion?

He voiced these doubts, uttering the words that had become a habit.

Doing nothing would mean Synat’s demise.

If blood was trickling from his nose and mouth, it was certain.

Rather than waiting for Synat to die like this, wouldn’t it be better to take a chance on even a small possibility?

That’s why he stakes everything on such an absurd assumption.

Kallen had developed a strange habit of making bets a long time ago.

“-!!”

Eventually, the second-rank combat attribute magic, ‘Explosion,’ manifested from Kallen’s hand.

Boom!!

With a loud explosion, the surroundings began to be tinged with a dark hue.

Sinat opened his eyes and collapsed.

“Huh, huh… huh…”

His legs had given out.

“Kallen… Kallen…!”

Looking around, everything was black.

But it was a little different.

If the place they had been just moments ago was terrifyingly dark,

The dark hue he saw now was not unfamiliar.

“Kallen…!!”

Only then could Sinat look straight ahead.

Kallen, who had collapsed while holding hands.

Severe burns and torn flesh were visible all over his body.

Had he used second-rank magic on himself?

Sinat recalled the time he had stepped into the spirit realm to make a contract.

The ominous scenery was completely different from what his grandfather had told him.

It was all terrifying darkness, and the spirit he met there was more like a monster.

A monster that stared at him with a faint smile.

In fear, he had called out to his grandfather and Kallen countless times, but he was alone.

The sacred spirit was nowhere to be found.

It was an experience that made him feel like he could die at any moment.

Just when he was about to give up, his vision reversed, and the dark world came into view.

Was the weakness in his legs due to relief?

Even without thinking deeply, it was clear that Kallen had done something.

“Kallen…?”

The strength he felt from the hand he was holding was fleeting,

Kallen lifted his head with his characteristic indifferent gaze..

“Are you… okay?”

“Kallen!!”

And at the same time,

The monster seen in the spirit realm appeared beyond Kallen.

How could a spirit manifest without a contract?

Separate from his confused mind, Sinat’s body searched for the summoning magic tool Blamia had given him for emergencies.

The monster, seemingly aware of this, thrust its almost spear-like hand.

The direction was towards the magic tool, but Sinat was also in danger of being pierced together.

It was at that moment.

Wham-

The monster’s hand pierced through Kallen’s back.

Blamia arrived almost simultaneously.