CHAPTER 98: SIBLINGS THINK ABOUT MAGIC

“What do you think magic is?” (Kei)

　Haru swings the ball of flame floating on her chest from side to side then she tilts her head.

“What is [Status] in the first place? Then what is [Skill]?” (Haru)

“Did you ever think about it and still not understand?” (Kei)

Well, yes, but… Now that we have more and more information, why don’t we start guessing with what we have?” (Haru)

“Oh, if that’s the case. I’ve been thinking about it for a while too.” (Kei)

　I’ve been thinking about Magic, Skills, Stats, etc. in my head.

“What I’ve always been thinking about is the unnaturalness of magic.” (Kei)

“Which part?” (Haru)

“Leaving aside the question of what magic is in the first place, what I’ve been wondering about is the Magic Circle.”

　The magic circle we found when we were still exploring the single-digit levels. We still use the magic circle to enhance the power of our [Magic].

“Why does using magic through a Magic Circle increase its power?” (Kei)

　When Haru chanted the small [Bomb], she made the ball of fire on her hand appear and flew it to a distance.

　The magic that strikes the ground creates a small explosion. The amount of magic power used must have been small. The power was set lower than the usual [Bomb].

“I’ll do it again with the same amount of magic power.” (Haru)

　Haru held Tonfa in her right hand and chanted [Bomb]. The magic was activated through the magic circle engraved on the Tonfa. It glowed a little stronger than before, and when it landed on the ground, it caused a stronger blast.

“The fact that magic can be used without a magic circle in the first place means that there is a high possibility that a magic circle is not necessary for the structure of magic.” (Kei)

“It feels the same whether you’re using magic through a magic circle or not.” (Haru)

“It’s weird to think of magic as science, but it’s also weird to think of a magic circle as simply amplifying magic.” (Kei)

“There is something about the Conservation of Energy.” (Haru)

“It’s entirely possible that I’m thinking about it wrong, but I’m thinking of magic used with my bare hands as a light bulb with electricity flowing through it.” (Kei)

“What do you mean?” (Haru)

　Haru tilted her head and twirled the tonfa around on her hand.

“I’ve been thinking that the magic circle makes the magic more efficient, but if that’s the case, then we who can perceive magic would feel some sort of dissonance.” (Kei)

“Well, at least it would feel strange.” (Haru)

“So magic is a light bulb. If you want to make the light of the bulb stronger, you have to run more electricity through it.” (Kei)

“Or maybe we should change the light bulb itself to something more efficient.” (Haru)

“Like LEDs. But that would be like using a different kind of magic. But even if you can’t change the intensity of the light, you can change the way it appears.” (Kei)

“For example?” (Haru)

“A flashlight or a streetlight, for example. They make the light stronger by focusing it in one direction.” (Kei)

“In other words, the magic circle is such a device like you described brother. That’s why all kinds of Magic work the same way.” (Haru)

　Haru nods several times, muttering.

“It’s a lot of assumptions, but I think it makes sense.” (Haru)

　Haru looked thoughtful for a few seconds and then looked up with a grim expression.

“Isn’t it strange?” (Haru)

　I quickly pulled out my sword and looked around. There is nothing in my search range.

“There’s nothing?” (Kei)

　This is a forest. This is a level where monsters appear very frequently. But I couldn’t feel any monsters at all.

　I hunted all the monsters around me. A few minutes ago.

“Brother, there’s nothing in my search range too. Let’s go home immediately.” (Haru)

“OK. Let’s run quickly.” (Kei)

　The last time the forest was cleared of monsters was during the last stampede. I didn’t feel any signs of a stampede.

　We quickly moved to the Transition Area and returned to the basement.

　There were normal monsters on the first level. There was no such thing as a crowd gathering at the entrance of the dungeon.

　The incident in the Tokyo dungeon was still fresh in my mind, so I left without investigating the anomaly in detail. Perhaps I made the right decision.

　I guess dungeons are supposed to be tackled with that much caution.

　However, in hindsight, I can understand why I was in such a hurry.

　Because.

“Hey, Haru. Where did Rimdobmur go?” (Kei)

　I hadn’t even noticed that the dragon, the symbol of the forest, had disappeared.