The Adventurer Who Lacks Magic Power

“There’s something I’d like to ask. I heard your mana capacity is 40. How can you unleash such powerful attacks with that level of mana? It’s puzzling,” Hyalda said.

“I have low mana, so I usually focus on defense. This time, it was a matter of life and death, so I put everything into my attacks. Thanks to that, I experienced mana depletion twice and narrowly avoided a third instance,” I explained.

“But I heard from Orlan that you managed your mana until it was nearly depleted, distributing it between attacks and defense,” he continued.

“It’s about understanding your own mana, always being aware of how much mana you’ve used with each spell. You need to gauge how many attacks you can perform and monitor the remaining mana based on your physical condition,” I replied.

“I heard you’re planning to become an adventurer once you turn 16,” Hyalda said.

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

“If you become an adventurer, you’ll take on requests, right?”

“Um, well, I plan to make a living by gathering medicinal herbs. Magic is purely for defensive purposes to survive. I prefer not to get involved in situations like this life-or-death one,” I said.

“I’m not talking about monster subjugation requests. I want you to teach us how to use magic. I’m willing to pay a substantial fee, and I believe adventurers wouldn’t decline an opportunity to earn money easily,” Hyalda explained.

“You want me, your personal mage, to teach you? Even though I’m self-taught and might not meet your expectations?” I questioned.

“I want both me and my sister, Fien, to learn from you,” he said.

“Wait, both of you can use magic?” I asked in surprise.

“I specialize in lightning and ice, while Fien uses fire and healing. Both of us have a mana capacity of 70, but we struggle to use magic effectively. Even the guidance we receive from the Mage Guild’s instructors is limited to casting spells and refining our mana. We don’t get specific advice,” Hyalda explained.

“I don’t think I’m much different,” I said.

“Nevertheless, you’re using significantly more powerful magic than other mages with a mana capacity of 40. Adventurers are known for not revealing their true abilities. I promise not to divulge anything you teach me to others,” Hyalda assured.

“I would like to make a request too. Please teach me for about ten days as a trial. If it doesn’t work out, feel free to refuse,” I added.

“Kaito-kun, I request the same. I promise that none of my subordinates will interfere,” Hyalda said.

“As long as I can stop teaching whenever I want, I will agree to ten days of instruction,” I agreed.

“Thank you. I will have Aisa, the head maid, prepare your room,” the Viscount said.

“Wait… Am I staying here?” I asked.

“I heard you’re not living at home anymore, but commuting from a hotel would be inconvenient. Besides, it would be difficult to ask questions promptly in that situation,” he explained.

“I see…” I sighed once again.

“By the way, Kaito-kun, if you don’t want to answer, that’s fine. You were granted earth magic, spatial storage, and teleportation magic, right? Have you mastered the other two?” Hyalda inquired.

“That’s a difficult question to answer. I can perform storage magic in small quantities, like a backpack adventurers carry. But teleportation is beyond my capabilities. I managed it once, but after moving a few meters, I collapsed due to mana exhaustion. I don’t use teleportation because I don’t want to die,” I said.

Sometimes a lie was necessary. I pretended to be clueless, maintaining my innocence.

“Then let’s go to the training grounds. I’d like to see the power of your magic,” Hyalda said, accompanied by the Viscount, who expressed his curiosity about my magic.

At the training grounds, I demonstrated the magic of both Hyalda and Fien. They chanted incantations and activated their spells. However, the results were underwhelming. Hyalda’s ice and lightning magic were slow to manifest and lacked speed and power. Fien’s fire magic, despite her chanting, produced a feeble flame.

At the Viscount’s request, I shot five Stone Arrows consecutively at a sturdy target. Then, I fired two Stone Lances individually, followed by three consecutive shots. A nearby mage, who had been observing from a distance, ran over, exclaiming, “What was that?” The Viscount assured him that I was his guest.

“Sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll tell you again not to get involved with him. However, your magic is much more powerful than I had expected. You’re fast, too. Are you not chanting your spells?” the Viscount asked.

“I’m not chanting. In fact, it’s unnecessary. Hyalda, could you create ice on your palm?” I asked.

“In the winter’s cold, let the water freeze and appear on my palm,” he chanted, channeling his mana into his palm.

“Fien, could you conjure a fireball about 30 centimeters above your palm?” I asked Fien.

“I call upon the spirits of fierce flames to gather on my hand,” she chanted, and a small flame flickered to life. With her chant, the fireball grew larger, taking on a spherical shape.

“You both don’t need to chant either. In fact, it’s more accurate to say chanting is unnecessary. Do you know why you’re chanting?” I asked.

“Chanting solidifies the image of the magic you want to cast and determines the size and power of the manifested spell, or so I was taught,” Hyalda replied.

“Watch this,” I said, directing my palm upward. Suddenly, a ball the size of a tennis ball materialized. In the next moment, it doubled in size, transforming into a star-shaped knife before crumbling into sand and slipping through my fingers.

“What you and your sister are doing with chanting, I’m doing it mentally, sending mana with the image in my head,” I explained.

All three of them looked at me, wide-eyed and astonished. As a bonus, I extended a stick from the ground, twisted it, and then let it return to the sand.

“What Hyalda said is not wrong. Chanting is a way for beginners who have received magic to encourage the manifestation of their spells. Once you get used to it, not only is it unnecessary, but it also hinders the speed of casting spells. The specific shape, power, and speed of the magic can be achieved by imagining it in your mind and channeling your mana accordingly.”

“So, have we been doing it wrong all this time?” Hyalda asked, baffled.

“I mentioned solidifying the image of the magic, right? What you’re doing while chanting, I do it mentally. You can achieve the same without chanting. What I did earlier was just materializing earth magic based on my mental image,” I explained.

“Does that mean you can create flowers with fire or make puppets dance?” he inquired.

I pointed at the ground and created a puppet about the size of a toddler. Placing a hand on its chest, it bowed, took a few steps, stumbled, and crumbled back into the sand.

Next, a stick extended with leaves forming at the top, eventually shaping into a flower before crumbling into sand.

“My imagination might be crude, but for spells like Fireball or Ice Bullet, you don’t need a complicated image. It’s just about the shape, size, and speed,” I clarified.

“Starting today, Hyalda, create a fist-sized chunk of ice in your free time or before bed. It should be a big chunk, compressed hard. As for you, Fien, create a fist-sized Fireball, then compress it to the size of your fist. There’s no need to shoot it; it will vanish if you withdraw your mana,” I instructed.

“This challenges the common sense of the world. But Kaito, you seem to know these things well,” Hyalda noted.

“My late mother taught me practical magic. I based my methods on her teachings. Also, before sleeping, circulate your mana throughout your body. I don’t understand the concept of refining mana, but I think it’s similar,” I shared.

Back in my room, I taught them the basic training methods for earth magic while we drank tea. During the session, I made sure the maids left the room.

The reason was simple: except for someone I trusted my life with, I couldn’t teach anyone else. If I taught others, I might be attacked while unconscious, and there would be no way to defend myself.

“I understand now. You’ve created your living space near the forest or grasslands, losing consciousness multiple times, testing your limits and the number of times you can use magic,” Hyalda deduced.

“That’s right. Using magic with a mana capacity of 40 is always on the brink of life and death. Using magic in front of others exposes my limits and abilities. That’s why I operate alone,” I confirmed.

“But you lost consciousness multiple times this time,” Fien pointed out.

“If I’m alone, I create a dome and hide inside. I can stay there for days. At that time, I didn’t fear being killed; killing us would lower the chances of the attackers’ survival,” I explained.

“That’s true. You fought against Black Wolf and protected us. You were the only one who could do that,” Hyalda acknowledged.

“I was fortunate to receive earth magic. While I can perform some attacks with other offensive magics, they are weak, and I can’t defend myself well when my mana depletes. With earth magic, I can sacrifice everything and protect myself if I’m alone,” I stated.

“So, it’s safer to be alone without needing to make allies and grow stronger by helping others,” Hyalda concluded.

“That’s right. By gathering medicinal herbs for a few more years, I can earn enough to sustain myself. Moreover, with earth magic, I don’t need a hotel, so my lifestyle is comfortable. Also, thanks to spatial storage, I can move without carrying luggage,” I added.